When George Gervin pointed out a major flaw in Michael Jordan's game, 5 years back: "Mike couldn't go left, I'd just get on the right side and make him go that way"
Michael Jordan is one of the most unstoppable players the league has seen. The former Chicago Bulls star barely had flaws in his game. However, in 2017, yesteryear All-Star George Gervin made a bold claim about Jordan's game.
Gervin said Jordan took a long time before becoming an ambidextrous scorer. The former claimed he used that against MJ when the two squared off. Here's what Gervin told The Post Game about this:
"Mike back then ... I'm a student of the game ... Mike couldn't go left. I'd just get on the right side and make him go that way. He was dominant right. Until he made that adjustment in the career, he didn't take off. Once he made that adjustment he could go both ways and get by you, lights out."
Gervin and Jordan faced each other during the former's final All-Star game in 1985. It was MJ's rookie year. Gervin guarded Jordan for most of the game and limited him to only seven points. It's safe to assume that the former Spurs guard was right about Jordan's game.
Gervin ended his career as Jordan's teammate with the Chicago Bulls in the latter's sophomore year, so the two didn't get a chance to play against each other on an NBA floor again.
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Michael Jordan terrorized defenses despite shooting with one hand early on
George Gervin pointed out a legitimate flaw in Michael Jordan's game. However, it didn't seem to affect his production during his early career. Jordan bagged 28.2 points per game in his debut season, shooting 51.5% from the floor.
His scoring averages improved to over 30 points per game over the next few years. Jordan had seven consecutive 30 PPG seasons between 1987 and 1993. He did so at an efficient clip. He shot at least 48% from the field.
MJ was a student of the game, so despite his scoring prowess, he proceeded to become more versatile in that aspect by learning how to score with his left hand. He operated from all three levels, especially towards the end of his Bulls' career, which only made him a better player as he aged.
Jordan eventually finished with a career average of 30.1 PPG on 49.7% field goal shooting. His conversion rate was impressive, considering he attempted 22.9 shots per game during his career. Learning new ways to score may have played a part in him being able to sustain his numbers towards the end of his career.
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Click here to read George Gervin's interview about Michael Jordan.