Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest shooter of all time. However, he excelled at more than just scoring at will. In the 1988-89 season, MJ was moved to point guard. And yes, it more than delivered.
The experience
On March 8, 1989, the Bulls without Jordan lost 104-95 on the road to the Boston Celtics without Larry Bird. The Bulls were 34-24 at the time, on pace to finish with a worse record than the previous season.
The next day, Jordan held a two-hour meeting with head coach Doug Collins. While Collins always kept Jordan as the center point of the offense, the six-time NBA champion was frustrated because he felt he wasn’t getting help on that side of the court. Bulls point guard Sam Vincent struggled to lead the offense, and Collins decided to move Jordan to that position. His Airness embraced him and set up a stretch for the ages.
The result
Jordan has thrived in his new role as Bulls point guard. He had 15 assists in his opener and led the Bulls to a 105-88 home win. Two days later, he had 21 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists in just 30 minutes in a 122-90 home win over the Pacers,
“For the most part, I’m starting to like it. I never dreamed that I would play this position – me, a (shooting) guard for life. But it helps. I can call my own plays and involve everyone else in the offense,” Jordan said after registering 16 assists in a 104-103 road win over the Lakers on March 21, 1989.
Jordan continued to play point guard until the end of the season. He averaged 30.4 points, 10.7 assists, 9.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals in 39.8 minutes over 24 games.
Between March 24 and April 14, Jordan recorded a triple-double in 10 of 11 games, including seven in a row. The only time he failed to complete a triple-double was in a 114-112 overtime loss to the Pistons at home on April 7, 1989. However, he still finished with 40 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds.
