"Phil Jackson came and said 'hey sometimes, pass the ball to Pippen, sometimes give it to Kukoc or Kerr'" - Colin Cowherd on how Chicago Bulls worked to make Michael Jordan a better team player
![It took time before Michael Jordan learned to trust his teammates. [Photo: Hoopos Habit]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/07/67fee-16577765558036-1920.jpg?w=500)
As good as Michael Jordan was, he didn’t have much playoff success in the first six years of his NBA career. His Chicago Bulls failed to overcome Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics and lost to the Detroit Pistons' “Bad Boys” in three straight postseasons.
He didn’t have much of a supporting cast early on, which is partly why he had to do almost everything on his own. Even when the Chicago Bulls had good role players, it still took years for Jordan to learn to trust his teammates.
The turning point came when Phil Jackson’s 'triangle offense' encouraged Jordan to rely more on his teammates than ever before.
Colin Cowherd, on his podcast, recalled how the Bulls allowed Jordan to be a flat-out scorer before teaching him to play team ball:
“Nobody told Michael Jordan that [trust teammates] in the first seven years of his career…After Jordan had been beat up again and again and again in the playoffs.
"Phil Jackson came in and said, ‘Hey sometimes, pass the ball to Pippen, sometimes give it to Kukoc or Kerr…You knew watching Jordan he can score 45 a night.”
“Magic left his man (Paxson) to help other players on def. He was gambling that MJ wouldn’t pass the ball. So I called a T.O. “Who’s open MJ?” I asked. He didn’t answer. I asked again, “Who’s open?” “Paxson,” he replied. “Get him the damn ball.” - Phil Jackson #mjmondays https://t.co/0lRQHsgAcG
When Michael Jordan won his first NBA title against the LA Lakers in 1991, he was already a five-time scoring champion. It was in the finals against Magic Johnson and the Lakers that Jordan’s trust in his teammates really paid off.
In Game 5, Phil Jackson urged Jordan to pass to an open John Paxson. MJ did as he was asked and repeatedly played decoy so the deadly shooting guard could get going. Paxson scored 10 of the Bulls’ last 15 points, going 5-5 to break open a close game.
John Paxson: one of the most clutch players in Finals history
10 points on 5/5 shooting in the final minutes of our 1991 title clinching game.
#TheLastDance https://t.co/VQj4jfg8hl
Michael Jordan scored 30 points in that game and was named Finals MVP.
MJ’s trust in his teammates continued in the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. In Game 6 with under 10 seconds left and the score tied, Jordan ran into a double team before passing the ball to Steve Kerr.
#OTD in 1997, Steve Kerr hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer for the Bulls to win their 5th championship! 🎯🏆
#NBAFinals https://t.co/PeUcChiEhh
Kerr’s 17-footer gave the Chicago Bulls another title and the fifth on Jordan’s career.
Michael Jordan was a great point guard for the Chicago Bulls
An often overlooked aspect of Michael Jordan’s time with the Bulls was his role as point guard in the 1988-89 season. Chicago's starting point guard at the time was a 6-foot-2 playmaker named Sam Vincent.
With both Vincent and the Bulls struggling, then head coach Doug Collins turned to Jordan to be the team’s playmaker. As the facilitator on offense, Jordan showed that he was as good at making buckets as he was at assisting.
Michael Jordan played point guard for 24 GMS in 1989
AVG 30 PTS, 10.7 ASTS, 9.2 REBS
Triple-double in 10 of 11 games
40/11/7 in the missed triple-double
Career-high 17 ASTS with 34 PTS
Some highlights from the 40/12/10 game vs ATL #MJMondays
https://t.co/h3FUTu33tk
In 24 games as the starting playmaker, “His Airness” posted jaw-dropping numbers. He averaged 30.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Collins stopped the experiment, however, as he didn’t want to burn out his best player.