As one of the best defensive players in the 1980s, only a few guards managed to get the better of Sidney Moncrief. The Milwaukee Bucks legend was the first to win the Defensive Player of the Year when it was launched in 1983. He even almost clinched a hat-trick but finished runner-up to Mark Eaton in 1985.
Still, some opponents were able to make it difficult for him on defense, notably Michael Jordan. In an interview with SLAM in 2000, Moncrief admitted the Chicago Bulls icon was one of his hardest covers and explained what made MJ tough to stop.
“First, as I said, his diversity,” he said. “I think any offensive player who has a post game, can shoot a standstill jumper, and has a very strong drive is tough because if you take away one thing, he will go to the other. Obviously, Michael had them all in spades. He could also go in any direction equally well – left, right, or middle – which made him very difficult.”
Mutual respect between Jordan and Moncrief
“El Sid” is hardly the only opponent who marveled at Mike’s seemingly unlimited offensive arsenal. Other players, including George Gervin and Kenny Smith, have pointed out that during MJ’s early years, going left was his weakness. But they also concurred that the five-time MVP learned to go both ways. And it seems that’s a sentiment Moncrief also shared.
As for Jordan, he had nothing but praise for his former rival. The six-time NBA champ once said that facing Sid meant 48 minutes of actual basketball because of the five-time All-Star’s penchant for hounding opponents anywhere on the court.
Interestingly, MJ scored less than 20 just once in his 26 matchups with Moncrief and averaged 31.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per contest in those meetings. In addition, one of his 31 career games with at least 50 points came against the former No. 5 pick.
Moncrief’s respect for Jordan’s focus
Another reason the Bucks legend found “His Airness” challenging to defend was his “ability to stay focused and not mind hard work.” That characteristic also allowed Jordan to develop an outside game. As Sir Sid put it, MJ avoided being one-dimensional by adding long-distance shooting to his arsenal.
One of the knocks on Jordan’s game was that he was never effective from beyond the arc. But the fact that he once made it rain from 3-point land in the 1992 Finals and averaged 1.4 3-pointers per contest on 39.9% shooting from 1995-96 to 1996-97 seasons showed that he could have become a decent marksman if he wanted to.
Based on Moncrief’s observation of his fellow Hall of Famer, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see Jordan become a prolific outside shooter if he played in today’s era, where there is more emphasis on 3-pointers.