Dean Smith on why Michael Jordan wasn't an instant star at UNC: 'It was like trying to shoot a volleyball'

Given how his career panned out, you'd be forgiven to think that NBA icon Michael Jordan never had flaws in his game. Part of what makes MJ's story so special, however, is that he went from being cut from his high school team to becoming widely considered the greatest player to ever live.

After heartbreak in high school, Jordan's path to the league continued in college at North Carolina, where he was coached by the legendary Dean Smith. But even he felt Mike was a long way off being a player with a superstar pedigree.

"Michael wasn't an instant star; rather, he was an important part of a potentially great team. The 1982 season was actually an up and down one for him, which is what you'd expect from any freshman. One of the areas that needed work was his outside shot. The problem was that he had such huge hands, which actually made it harder to shoot. It was like trying to shoot a volleyball," he said.

MJ had to earn his spot

It's interesting to think about Jordan being classified as a defender, first and foremost, with a raw offensive game that needed fine-tuning. But that's exactly how Smith viewed him: as a super athlete with defensive potential who desperately needed to work on his outside shot.

Looking back now, it's not all that shocking, given that Mike was a below average three-point shooter in his career but did turn out to be arguably the greatest mid-range operator in league history.

Having to go through the necessary steps to earn his minutes, Smith also discussed the moment he decided to insert MJ into NC's starting lineup for their season opener in 1981.

"I called it the 'Where you stand' meeting, and in it, I told each player where he stood on earning playing time as we prepared to enter the season. In Michael's case, I told him, 'Michael, defensively, if I find that you can really be a factor, then and only then would you be considered as a starter.' After that, he really came on. He showed that he knew our principles defensively better than most freshmen," Dean recalled.

Smith didn't tell Jordan about his decision until they got to the locker room before their game against Kansas. That's when he wrote his name on the board. The rest is history.