"He would have been viewed like Kevin Durant or Zion" - NCAA analyst on what if Michael Jordan played college basketball today

Many players have made their mark on college basketball, but only a few names spark as much admiration as Michael Jordan. Renowned NCAA analyst and Duke veteran Jay Bilas was among those who could attest to that, and he once shared a bold yet reasonable take on how MJ would fare against the top college basketball players of today.

Unsurprisingly, Bilas reckoned that having witnessed Jordan's exceptional skill set, competitive nature, and adaptability to the evolving styles of play, he is confident the University of North Carolina standout would dominate today's college basketball landscape. He even said MJ would find it easier to score with the game being more open.

"The all-time greats would be great in any era. Jordan would be the best player now and would own SportsCenter and social media, and he would be bigger than Zion Williamson," Bilas told ESPN in 2020. "Nobody could guard him now or then. He was that great. It would be easier now for Jordan because the game is better spaced due to the 3-point line. He would have far more room to operate. It would also be easier in that the best players are much younger."

MJ's college career would be cut short

Jordan's athleticism, explosiveness, and clutch genes would easily make him an instant commodity in the current era. That said, Bilas said Mike would be torn between prolonging his college basketball career and jumping straight into the NBA if he played today.

NCAA analyst speculated that modern NBA teams would come up with everything to persuade Jordan. With more and more remarkable players shortening their college basketball career to declare for the draft these days, Jay is intrigued about the chances that MJ might wind up doing the same thing.

However, Bilas believes that, given Jordan's exceptional repertoire as a player, he would still be a celebrated superstar even if he only played one year in college.

"It would be more difficult in a way because the players, generally, are far better and far more athletic than in the 1980s. However, if Jordan were playing in today's game, it is unlikely he would ever have reached his sophomore season, let alone his junior year. Because he stayed for three years, he had a profound impact on the game and on the ACC," the former Blue Devil assessed.

"If it had been only one year, which is the norm now for great talents, he would have been viewed like Kevin Durant or Zion, a great talent that thrilled us for a year," he continued.

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MJ stood out as a competitor

Another key factor that Bilas emphasized was Jordan's incredible competitiveness. Throughout his NBA career, the Chicago Bulls superstar was known for his relentless desire to compete and win.

According to Jay, MJ had had that competitive fire since college. In fact, Bilas thinks "His Airness" was the most notable competitor in college basketball back in the '80s.

More often than not, Jordan's competitive drive translated into outstanding performances. With that in mind, Bilas argued that this innate competitiveness would allow MJ to handle the pressures and challenges of modern college basketball.

"He was different from the rest, and there were great competitors in the ACC in the 1980s. I have heard Coach K say on many occasions that the best era in the ACC and in college basketball was the 1980s. Think about the players in the ACC then ... Jordan, Ralph Sampson, Len Bias, Mark Price, John Salley, Johnny Dawkins, Mark Alarie, Horace Grant, Lorenzo Charles, Nate McMillan, Kenny Green, Muggsy Bogues ... it was ridiculous. Yet, Jordan stood out above everyone as a competitor," Bilas remarked.

Jordan has proven that he was destined for greatness since Day 1. This has made it much easier for analysts and pundits to predict how he would perform in different eras. And they all agree that no matter where you put MJ, he would be dominant.

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