In March 1989, Michael Jordan would move to the point guard position for the remainder of the 1988-89 NBA season…..Here’s a detailed view on what happened….
BackStory
In 1989, Michael Jordan played as a point guard for a total of 24 games. This was an experiment by Doug Collins, who was the coach of the Chicago Bulls at that time. The experiment turned out to be successful as Jordan displayed his versatility on the court, even securing 10 triple-doubles in a span of 11 games.
During this period, Jordan’s average statistics were impressive 33.6 points,10.8 rebounds and 11.4 assists and 2.9 steals per game. This exceptional performance proves that Jordan could perform excellently in positions other than his regular shooting guard role.
Michael Jordan: Point GuarD
In March 1989, Michael Jordan played as a point guard for the Chicago Bulls. Here are some notable facts and stats from that time:
- Starting from March 11, 1989, Jordan played his first game as a point guard against the Seattle SuperSonics, where he logged 18 points, eight rebounds, and 15 assists.
- For the last 24 games of the 1988-1989 season, Jordan played point guard under the direction of coach Doug Collins. During this period, Jordan averaged 30.4 points, 10.7 assists, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game.
- During those games, Jordan demonstrated his versatility and skill by tallying 12 triple-doubles.
- Seven straight triple doubles & 10-in-11 games
- 12 straight games with 10+ assists
- His performance as a point guard was influential enough that Jordan himself believed playing point guard could extend his career.
- Mike averaged a league leading 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.9 steals per game throughout the entire 1988-89 season.
- In the following 1989-90 NBA season, Jordan returned to his original position, shooting guard.
Stat lines for MJ at PG
| Michael Jordan | DATE | TM | OPP | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | PF | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Jordan | 3/11/1989 | CHI | vs | SEA | 40 | 18 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 61.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | 3 | ||
| Michael Jordan | 3/13/1989 | CHI | vs | IND | 30 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 46.7 | 3 | 4 | 75.0 | 4 | 4 | 100.0 | 0 | |
| Michael Jordan | 3/15/1989 | CHI | @ | CLE | 38 | 28 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 22 | 54.5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 80.0 | 3 | ||
| Michael Jordan | 3/17/1989 | CHI | vs | NYK | 41 | 33 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 16 | 56.3 | 2 | 2 | 100.0 | 13 | 14 | 92.9 | 5 | |
| Michael Jordan | 3/18/1989 | CHI | @ | IND | 44 | 28 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 24 | 45.8 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 6 | 7 | 85.7 | 1 | |
| Michael Jordan | 3/21/1989 | CHI | @ | LAL | 43 | 21 | 8 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 35.0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 87.5 | 3 | ||
| Michael Jordan | 3/22/1989 | CHI | @ | PHX | 37 | 32 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 20 | 50.0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 100.0 | 5 | ||
| Michael Jordan | 3/24/1989 | CHI | @ | POR | 40 | 33 | 7 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 50.0 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 13 | 16 | 81.3 | 4 | |
| Michael Jordan | 3/25/1989 | CHI | @ | SEA | 40 | 21 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 44.4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 100.0 | 3 | ||
| Michael Jordan | 3/28/1989 | CHI | vs | GSW | 40 | 33 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 24 | 54.2 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 7 | 9 | 77.8 | 4 | |
| Michael Jordan | 3/29/1989 | CHI | @ | MIL | 43 | 32 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 47.4 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 14 | 16 | 87.5 | 4 | |
| Michael Jordan | 3/31/1989 | CHI | vs | CLE | 43 | 37 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 29 | 51.7 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 6 | 7 | 85.7 | 4 | |
| Michael Jordan | 4/2/1989 | CHI | vs | NJN | 39 | 28 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 23 | 47.8 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 5 | 5 | 100.0 | 2 | |
| Michael Jordan | 4/4/1989 | CHI | vs | CHA | 40 | 33 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 66.7 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 13 | 15 | 86.7 | 1 | |
| Michael Jordan | 4/6/1989 | CHI | @ | DET | 43 | 31 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 47.8 | 1 | 5 | 20.0 | 8 | 8 | 100.0 | 2 | |
| Michael Jordan | 4/7/1989 | CHI | vs | DET | 42 | 40 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 18 | 61.1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 21 | 85.7 | 6 | ||
| Michael Jordan | 4/9/1989 | CHI | @ | ATL | 43 | 40 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 29 | 44.8 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 14 | 14 | 100.0 | 3 | |
| Michael Jordan | 4/13/1989 | CHI | @ | IND | 46 | 47 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 30 | 56.7 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 13 | 14 | 92.9 | 3 | |
| Michael Jordan | 4/14/1989 | CHI | @ | NJN | 38 | 29 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 27 | 44.4 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 5 | 7 | 71.4 | 2 | |
| Michael Jordan | 4/16/1989 | CHI | @ | CLE | 27 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 57.1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 6 | 6 | 100.0 | 2 | |
| Michael Jordan | 4/17/1989 | CHI | vs | NYK | 42 | 34 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 52.4 | 1 | 3 | 33.3 | 11 | 13 | 84.6 | 3 | |
| Michael Jordan | 4/20/1989 | CHI | @ | WAS | 39 | 30 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 20 | 45.0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 13 | 92.3 | 4 | ||
| Michael Jordan | 4/21/1989 | CHI | vs | WAS | 42 | 34 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 31 | 41.9 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 72.7 | 1 | ||
| Michael Jordan | 4/23/1989 | CHI | vs | CLE | 35 | 25 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 19 | 47.4 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 7 | 8 | 87.5 | 3 | |
| Average | 39.8 | 30.4 | 9.2 | 10.7 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 3.8 | 10.6 | 21.3 | 49.8 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 27.3 | 8.9 | 10.0 | 88.8 | 3.0 |
