Do Dallas Mavericks win a championship with Michael Jordan in 2002?

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Dallas Mavericks Michael Jordan (Photo by J.P. MOCZULSKI/AFP via Getty Images) /

MJ an upgrade? How much?

Michael Jordan turned 39 and 40 years old in February of the two years he played for the Washington Wizards. It is safe to say that he had the best seasons of any player in NBA history at those ages. How good was he, though?

The Wizards had 19 wins in the season prior to Jordan’s arrival. They were one of the worst teams in the NBA.

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Jordan was limited to 60 games because of a knee injury in his first season. He was injured earlier and attempted to play through it. MJ made 53 starts during the 2001-2002 season. In those, he averaged 24.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.5 steals in 36.6 minutes per game. The Wizards were 27-26 in Jordan’s starts.

He produced 3.3 win shares and a 2.7 value over replacement player (VORP). Jordan was 44th in the NBA in VORP on the season. The injuries hampered those numbers. They improved during his second season with the Wizards.

Dirk and Nash were the only two Mavericks in 2001-2002 season to have a better VORP than Jordan. Finley’s was 2.1. It is safe to say that Michael Jordan would have been a significant upgrade for the Dallas Mavericks. If he stayed healthy, MJ likely would have led the Wizards to the playoffs that season.

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