BJ Armstrong explains the beauty of Michael Jordan's game in the latter part of his career: "The genius was that he was able to do it in a completely different way"

A significant reason why many players and coaches complain about the sheer number of regular-season games they must play is that the toll this schedule takes on their bodies. Aside from the 82 games in the regular season, there's also the tough postseason grind wherein games come thick and fast, leaving very little room for the players' bodies to recover.

According to former NBA champion and All-Star B.J. Armstrong, even the great Michael Jordan wasn't immune to the physical demands of the game as he got older. However, what set Jordan apart from other players was how he tweaked his game to allow him to still dominate without incurring severe injuries.

A two-part career

When Jordan arrived in the NBA in 1984 for the Chicago Bulls, he was a whirling dervish wearing a basketball uniform. Blessed with incredible athleticism, there was no defense that he didn't think he could soar over. And while he leveraged his natural-born talent and hoop skills to great individual success in the 1980s, savvier teams like the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons were all too happy to let him drive down the lane and absorb physical punishment.

In particular, Detroit's infamous "Jordan Rules" was designed to rough him up and tire him out, making it difficult for Jordan to maintain his high-flying style of play.

"You look at Michael Jordan in 1986 — he was flying around, dunking and jumping. You look at him in '91, '92, '93 — he's still flying around jumping," Armstrong shared. "In '96, '97, '98, he's shooting fadeaways." 

Armstrong was Jordan's teammate from 1989 to 1993, which meant he saw firsthand the punishment defenses dealt to His Airness in the early part of his career. That said, he also witnessed how Jordan adjusted his game to counter the physicality.

"So the genius of Michael Jordan — the true genius — and I don't know if they expand on it or not, is the player that he was in '91, '92, '93 could overwhelm you with pure raw athleticism," Armstrong explained. "The player you saw in '96, '97, '98 was a totally different player. He got the same and achieved the same result, but the genius was that he was able to do it in a completely different way."

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A maestro on the block

Whereas His Airness astonished everyone with his aerial acrobatics early in his career, he became a beast on the low block in the '90s. He routinely used his powerful base to establish position in the low post and either score from close range, draw fouls or shoot his patented fadeaway jumper.

"When you see a player mature and have a second act like that, that's genius. That's not something you just do. You don't just do a 180 and completely change," Armstrong stated. "The young Jordan — I always tease them when we talk, and everyone's talking trash — the young Jordan never shot fadeaways. The older Jordan, that was his go-to move."

The beauty of Jordan's game wasn't that he was good at only one thing; he was excellent at different facets of the game. Most of all, he never stood pat and refined his game as he grew older to remain dominant on the court.

Related: BJ Armstrong explains what made Dennis Rodman the "first real entertainer" in NBA history

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.