Former Bulls GM Rod Thorn reveals Michael Jordan's scouting report before the Draft: "His shooting was what we were concerned with"

The Chicago Bulls struck gold in the 1984 NBA Draft when they selected Michael Jordan third overall. Like everyone else, the Bulls wanted Hakeem Olajuwon, but Houston beat Portland in the coin flip and earned the right to pick 'The Dream.'

Portland, which boasted a backcourt of Clyde Drexler and Jim Paxson, felt no need to draft another guard. So, they took a risk on Sam Bowie, and that left Jordan as the best option when the Bulls were on the board.

With Olajuwon gone, Jordan was their next option. When asked why they ultimately decided to go with MJ, former GM Rod Thorn shared Jordan's scouting report.

"He was a tremendous athlete with a strong body that looked like it was going to get better," said Thorn. "He was competitive, and a fair shooter. Good ball handler, though not a great one at that time, but a good one and a good defensive player. His shooting was what we were concerned with. We didn't know what kind of shooter he was going to turn out to be."

MJ had large hands and a 48-inch vertical leap

To say that Mike was a tremendous athlete would be an understatement. He had one of the biggest hands in league history, which measured 9.75 inches long and 11.375 inches wide. Jordan's vertical leap of 48 inches is tied with Darrell Griffith as the highest in NBA history.

With large hands, he could palm the ball and control it as he wished. MJ's leaping ability enabled him to soar above defenders and finish above the rim. He was also very quick and a good defender right out of the gate.

However, as Thorn said, Young MJ did not have a smooth shooting stroke. While he shot 54.0% from the field in college, most of his shots were drives to the basket or dunks. His Airness continued to struggle with his shooting early in his career, and it wasn't late in his NBA life when he began to develop a three-point shot.

Related: Kevin McHale on the difference between Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan: "Larry and Magic can control the game with 10 shots"

Kenny Smith reveals MJ's main weakness in college

Meanwhile, MJ's college teammate Kenny Smith told the All the Smoke podcast earlier this year that he used to pick on MJ at UNC. According to the Jet, while he had decent dribbling skills, Jordan's handles were 'whack.' Nonetheless, MJ worked on his game's weaknesses and turned them into his strong points.

"He's the only guy that I know that the weaknesses that he had, at the end of his career were his strengths," added Smith. "I used to say, it's like, 'You think you could guard me?' I said, 'Yeah, because your handle is whack.' I used to say, 'Your handle is whack, I could guard you'. We doing that, he goes to the Olympics, comes back, goes to the league, comes back for the summer cause all the players, we all come back to play. And he's like, 'My handle, been working on it.'"

Not only did MJ eventually become a reliable ball handler, but he also became a reliable shooter. Jordan developed a mid-range game and used his jumpers to hit game-winners, becoming the biggest name in NBA history.

Related: "To me, it showed versatility" - Michael Jordan on Hakeem Olajuwon's most impressive defensive trait