70sFan wrote: West possessed the same qualities than made Jordan amazing and he's the most natural comparison to MJ (more so than Kobe in my opinion).
"Many of the same qualities" seems a more appropriate phrase. I don't think West was an outlier athlete relative to his period in the same way as was Jordan, though his quickness and leaping ability were evident. He still had some key physical attributes, like his coordination and wingspan, of course, but it isn't the same. He did deviate from his league environment more in terms of his FG% and FT% than Jordan, reflecting a level of proficiency well beyond most of his peers, and he was leaps and bounds beyond almost anyone else in terms of drawing fouls, and paid the price for it in health.
"Most natural comparison to MJ" is an interesting one. I'm waffling about this, it doesn't feel quite right to me. Kobe seems best compared to like, 98 Jordan. Definitely not young Jordan. When I watch West, I never really catch the same stylistic feel, either in terms of the way they athletically navigate the floor compared to their peers or in their goals on the court. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I mostly see West going for like a quick pass-pass J with a big, or coming around a screen with a live dribble for the J, or that dirty, dirty, dirty hard pull-up jumper he exploited. That last one sounds a little Jordan-ish, it's a staple for three-point era wing scorers. He seems more methodical to me, carefully dribbling in and out of the post, navigating his screens, always ready to pop that J or make a pass. It doesn't feel the same as MJ, especially young Jordan, hunting for that seam to explode through. Or old MJ, setting up off-ball and waiting for it to come into the post for a bump and fling.
I think Kobe is actually a more natural comparison for Jordan not just because of his well-documented emulation, because what he was doing on the court was often more similar.
So that's my thoughts, but what makes you think West and Jordan are a natural comparison?
