Former Duke star Christian Laettner joins the Dan Patrick Show and discusses why, when he played with the Dream Team, he was most impressed by Michael Jordan's commitment to the defensive side of the ball
Jordan is one of only four players to make 1st team all defense 9 times and actually won player of the year on defense once which is insane with the offensive load he carried. This is where there's a MASSIVE separation between him and Lefraud because he isn't remotely close to Jordan defensively (and also as a closer of games). Jordan's all around game was so much better than Lefraud that it's really laughable that this debate has ever taken place.
Something that should be pointed out with MJ’s defense is that he was not only the first NBA basketball player to ever block 100 shots and get 200 steals in a single season (Olajuwon and Pippen have also done it since) but MJ also became (and still is) the ONLY player to ever do it…. twice!! The man was just on another level to anything anyone had ever seen before, then… or since.
This is exactly why I say ,if you’re going to be in the GOAT discussion,one of your qualifications is you also have to be stellar on the defensive end of the court,as well.
@@damianpresha9833 i wish you were right bec it's like watching figure skating despite his stellar body. Especially the Euro steps broke my spirits bro
"if you don't let them do that stupid euro step then they cry all the time" - Christian Laettner just fell in love with this guy for keeping it all the way real... all the way real
If he didn’t get bounced around and stayed with one team. He could of definitely had more all star games and possibly a championship. He never got put in a good fit for his playing style
@@lastshallbefirst5516 hey I would love to agree but you had a few other players that were monsters also defensively, Hakeem. Rusell, Ben Wallace. MJ was the best 2 way player by far. I just said top 3 but doesn't mean he's #2 or 3. I can easily see him #1.
And did it while leading the league in scoring at the same time with 37 & 35 ppg. Lebron has never had 200 steals, 100 blocks or averaged more than 31 ppg in a season.
@@Nysdaddy Lebron has played 21 seasons to Jordan's 13 and he's still 300+ steals behind Jordan 🤣And these clown Lebron fans are out here saying he's a better defensive player than Mike. No group of fans has more brain rot than Lebron fans.
I remember Jordan was being interviewed about a book of photos that had just come out. They stopped on one of the pictures of Jordan in a basic ready position guarding someone. Right away he said - look at my feet. They are perfect.
Rodman....Pippen...Shaq... Garnett... Duncan... Róbinson....Olajuwan...Payton. All from the same era as Jordan and ALL of them played both ends with ferocity. 👍🏼
Christian Laettner is so spot on. Basketball is one of the few Sports where you actually get to play both sides of the ball. Back in the leather strap days of football people played both sides of the ball all the time but everybody's not going to be Deion Sanders in football and everybody's not going to be Shohei Ohtani in baseball. You have to give people who are able to play both sides of the basketball court at a high level their props and nobody did it better than Jordan nobody.
Laettner is really criticizing today's NBA with that take. This is what HS and AAU has turned into. "If ya don't let em shoot 3s and do the euro step they cry." What do we see in the NBA right now? Defense is basically non existent and games are a 3 pt contest with a few euro steps thrown in. And when it comes to effort id say less than 5% of NBA players actually show effort especially on the defensive end.
It made me happy when someone of his caliber (he was a solid NBA player throughout his career) said something like that. He said exactly how I view the state of the current basketball.
The eurostep comment really hit home... it was so based. Tired of allowing travelling violations simply by giving them a cute name... jump step... jump stop... step back... euro step... whatever that nonsense Jokic does now... all so tiresome
and this is why us so called old heads don't care for it today, no true competitive spirit, because they don't want to play and only want shoot 3s, i see no true fundamentals anymore
We need a full length special for this man. One of the all time greatest college players ever and a living witness to too many iconic basketball history. Salute 🫡
Because he was a white boy who grew up rich and played fir a rich white school. Add in the fact that he was highly talented and that’s a perfect recipe for the hatred.
01:02 agreed 💯 what he said... I coach 6-8th grades basketball... omg my exact words .. thank you mr. Laettner for expressing my thoughts.. today's games are about offense no defense..i spent 45min of practicing defense over and over..
In my opinion the two most important factors in any team sport are fundamentals & defense , sure offense gets all the glory , but the other two are the corner stone to any great team .
When a player tells the truth about MJ, it's almost surprising with all the revisionist lies that get spread around today! Thankfully I grew up in Chicago during Jordan years so I witnessed firsthand the total dominance at both ends that was MJ!
When I coached (badly), I taught defense first. Especially, defense away from the ball then taking the charge. Then I taught blocking out on the boards. These skills can be learned quickly and have a huge impact. Teaching passing with the off hand takes years.
This is what I've been trying to tell youngsters. Players doesn't come out of the womb knowing how to play basketball. They're taught how! So coaches have to teach them accountable to the current call/demand for the game!
I think that is the difference of Michael Jordan to Kobe and Lebron, Jordan is a complete player when he think of himself as the best defensive player on the team.
One of the greatest college basketball players of all time can't find an assistant coaching job in college or the pros. Idk maybe he's like Larry Brown and just loves teaching and coaching at all levels. I'm not a C.L. fan, but he can definitely help develop players at the highest level.
Talking defense from arguably the best college offensive player of all time‼️. 4 straight final fours and 2 national 🏆 🏆 championships at Duke‼️ But definitely defense wins offense. And let's not forget, as Rex Chapman said in a recent interview, MJ had the largest hands of any guard, being able to palm the basketball like a softball, which gave him an advantage. Although he learned to be a great shooter as well. Not to mention all his fundamentals and acrobatics in the air. He was the perfectly built NBA player and moved like the "black cat" as Reggie Miller called him. Antony Edwards is the closest NBA player I've seen to move just like MJ‼️ Christian Laettner, I don't hate you. I love ❤️ you man‼️
One of the very few who can say they have a buzzer beater better than any of MJs. lol. Huge Duke fan here. CL is one of the best collegiate players all time and such a pleasure to listen to here
100%. Defense is 50% of the time you are on the court. Modern sports media completely fails to acknowledge this and it would truly be a way to separate players instead of obsessing over offensive stats.
Facts thats whats separate MJ from lebron and everyone. Plus MJ offense was the total package and had the killer mentally and was the best closer in the game. And had the best fade away ever. MJ was just on other level
So, true. What people really don't understand about those Bulls teams was the defense. In a 24 second shot clock scenario where you had 10 seconds to get it over half court the strength of the Bulls was doing a 3/4 quarter press with MJ/Pippen hounding the guards and primary ballhamdlers which resulted in the opposing team getting into their sets later giving them really only one or if they were lucky two options inter offense to get a good shot. Or, it forced the team to have a non-primary ball handler bringing it up and making the decision which is not optimal. Add Harper and a very underrated Randy Brown at times to help them it was nightmare for teams.
Yep, the little stuff, the fundamentals, the stuff that leaders and guys who make their team better do. Why do you think the Lakers are doing so well when Lebron DOESN’T play
I remember watching Bulls games and it seemed like they played hard in the first half, but in the second half they turned it up a notch on defense . He and Pippen were like panthers just pouncing on the other teams ball handlers making it hard to start their offense.
Christian Laettner is 💯% spot on. This is why we are seeing fewer quality players coming through the pathways now and fewer quality games, too. Players are so superficial now. They truly have no clue what it takes to become a champion because fundamentals are seen as boring, tedious, and repetitious, and not as exciting and glamorous as dunking, shooting 3's or a behind the back pass. It's worrying because it seems we are also restricted in teaching them that their game's foundation is not built on highlights,but on fundamentals.
Kids take away all the wrong messages. Even from Kobe they missed this aspect and he was close but not the same level as Jordan consistently on that end. Defense is details and where winning is done. Best defender ever at the SG position by a long shot.
Lol damn, he went from praising Jordan fundamentals as a player. To what made him great. To wanting to install the same thing as a coach with today's generation and all they do is complain. Now I see why Jordan said in that interview. He doesn't want to be a coach cause he doesn't have the patience with today's athletes. He basically said what Christian said in this clip lol.
Jordan Bulls Was The Last NBA Team I Ever Seen Run A Full Court Press On Defense... An I Hated The Bulls As Team.. But I Recognize what they where doing.. 😂🤣
LBJ had a few good years defensively but overrated as hell most other years. People always say he can guard 1-5, but reality was he rarely guard out position. He is way too inconsistent to be regard as a great 2-way player. Even 40-year-old MJ hustle on defense on one knee. We need to stop giving him excuse "resting on D because of his age". If you going to be on the court, be there both ways.
@@sinhnguyen8135 I agree he had a FEW years when alot younger but dam the bum is in year 21 and only has 6 defensive team selection and 1 is second team. That's bad for someone who wants to say he's the goat. MJ had 9 1st all defense which is tied for first but he did it in 11 full seasons with the Bulls. 12 full seasons over all. First year with Wizards didn't qualify because only played 60 games.
It is funny. I am 54 years old. Blew out my Achilles tendon on both feet and a second time on my right foot. I still have moves and a great passer, but my shooting is dead. I am not sure I could jump over a dime, but my lateral movement is nasty. I start in a 18 to 32 year old mens league with D1 players. I start because even at 5’10” I am the best defender on the court. People watching don’t care much and wonder why I start, but the young bucks appreciate me and know why. It is crazy how I am excel at my role and I am coveted. Although it is crazy how blown out Achilles screws up your shot especially when you grow up a jump shooter. I say all this because allot of players put no time in defense and it is such an important part of the game. Only thing, young guys get real upset because they do not know me and assume they are suppose to blow by me. You think they figure out why am I the best scorer on the team and they put this older man on me. It not that we disrespect you, but fact I am a great defender. They still get pissed.
It's always nice to make a bucket but getting a steal or forcing a turnover - made me feel great. Kids need to understand that defence can take them just as far as offence. Coaches are desperate for lockdown defenders and players that can box out correctly for defensice rebounds.
You have to ACTUALLY watch MJ to understand he was a psycho on a basketball court. Didn't matter which end, you were gettin' 1,000% effort. Oh, and he played all 82 games!
MJ's defensive prowess is especially put on display in the 80s, and even more when Pippen hadn't gotten there yet. You'd see him literally trying to guard everybody, one second he's on the perimeter, the next he's coming on the blind side to block the center's shot.
