Wilt’s Scoring Record Is Out of Jordan’s Reach

One of those sports records most people figure will never be broken is Wilt Chamberlain’s 50.4-points per game average in 1961-62 with the Philadelphia Warriors.

The way the game has changed since then, with an increased emphasis on defense and team-style offense, Chamberlain’s record seems secure--as Babe Ruth’s record of 60 home runs in a season once did.

But is there a “Roger Maris” on the horizon ready to challenge the Babe Ruth of NBA scoring history? Maybe. Maybe not.

Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls enters the halfway point of the 1986-87 season averaging 38 points per game. It is foolhardy to think Jordan could crank it up any higher and challenge Chamberlain’s mark this year.

But the future?

“I don’t think about how many points that I’m scoring in a game. There are games I know that I’ve scored a lot, but it really doesn’t catch up with me,” Jordan says.

For Jordan to get closer to Chamberlain’s record, he would have to shoot more than the 30 to 35 shots he is averaging now.

In Chamberlain’s big year, he took 3,159 shots, or close to 40 shots per game. He made 1,597, good for a .506 shooting percentage. He also scored a record 100 points that season against the New York Knicks.

Jordan, through the first half of this year, is on a pace that would take him to around 2,500 shots. He is also hitting .475% from the floor, quite a bit less than Chamberlain.

Jordan did record nine straight 40-point games, the second most in NBA history behind Chamberlain’s 14 in a row.

Considering the talent around him on the Bulls’ team, he may wind up shooting more the rest of this season, into the playoffs and next year.

“Michael understands his role on this team and that is primarily to score points,” says Bulls’ first-year coach, Doug Collins. “But, as we continue to improve and mature in the growth of this franchise, that could change.”

Obtaining better players might mean less need for Jordan to shoot as much. That was pretty much the scenario with Chamberlain after his high productivity years early in his career. When he got on better clubs like the 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers, he didn’t need to shoot as much.

But considering the talent on the Bulls and the success they’ve had with Jordan’s big scoring nights, that time might not be on the immediate horizon.

Chamberlain had his big nights shooting in the area underneath the basket. With the rare exceptions, when his turnaround bank shots went in, Chamberlain’s main offensive threat was no farther than 6 feet away from the basket.

Jordan has to do it from the outside as well as drives. He seems to be able to hit a 20-footer with the same ease as he does one of his acrobatic layups.

While his range and size may make Chamberlain’s record unattainable, he does have a distinct advantage over the 7-foot-2 former great. He can make free throws.

Already this season, Jordan has shot more than 400 free throws and has hit 84%, one of the better percentages in the NBA.

The year that Chamberlain averaged his 50.4 points, he shot 1,363 free throws, more than Jordan expects to shoot this year. But he hit 835 for a .613 percentage, far lower than Jordan’s accuracy rate. Ironically, Chamberlain’s free-throw percentage in his record season was one of the best in a career known for inconsistency from the free-throw line.

“Heck, I don’t think about those things. I want us to win more ballgames. If I can do that by scoring, then that’s what I’m going to do. If I can do it by just passing, that’s what I’m going to do,” Jordan insists.

Sounds much like Chamberlain at a similar stage in his career.

Even if Chamberlain’s marks are out of range, Jordan does seem to be on a target to average more than any other guard in history.

Nate (Tiny) Archibald averaged 34 points per game for the Kansas City-Omaha Kings in 1972-73. Archibald also led the league in assists that season, something that Jordan won’t do this year.

As the Bulls are learning, big scoring from one individual usually doesn’t guarantee success. In Archibald’s big year, the Kings finished last in their division at 36-46. Chamberlain’s 1961-62 club fared better at 49-31 but lost to he Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.

“We know that eventually, we need more balance in what we do,” Collins concedes. “But watching Michael Jordan is a marvel right now. He probably could score more if he wasn’t so unselfish and wasn’t always looking for the open man.”