Julian Strawther was immense tonight for the Denver Nuggets. He may only be in his sophomore season in the NBA. But Julian is playing like he’s been at it for decades. In fact, his play reminded many fans of a certain Chicago Bulls legend’s antics in the Playoffs. And another NBA legend, Isiah Thomas, told Strawther how he can build on tonight’s incredible showing.
Julian Strawther recorded a career-high playoff points tally tonight, scoring 15 points, making 3 out of the 4 three-pointers he attempted. Tonight’s game was a must-win for his team, and Julian delivered for them in spades. And after the game, he got some advice from the Pistons legend on how he can keep it going.
“Don’t take no time off. Go to the gym early tomorrow. Stay hot. You got a day off, don’t take the day off now. We’ll meet at the gym,” he said to the young guard, who replied, “I’ll be there.” “Go twice,” quipped Zeke as Strawther and the other panelists laughed. But this is invaluable advice coming from a legend like Isiah Thomas. And it’ll behoove Strawther to heed it. But tonight, he can revel in the glory of his performance. After all, it was glorious.
“In a win or go home situation, there’s no energy to conserve.” @JulianStrawther (15 PTS) brought it on both sides of the ball to help the @nuggets extend the series pic.twitter.com/qt9t7khRVg
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 16, 2025
With the game tied late in the third, Strawther hit a three off a Jamal Murray dime. About a minute later, he drained another from the corner and high-fived a fan sitting courtside. To put it bluntly, Julian was Jordan-esque in tonight’s game. And it’s not just us — plenty of fans also couldn’t help but compare the 23-year-old to the Chicago legend.
In fact, the Michael Jordan comparisons were so widespread that MJ began trending! That simply speaks to how good the Nuggets’ reserve guard was tonight. And don’t worry, you don’t need to go on Twitter(or X) to catch the reactions to Strawther tonight. We’ve compiled the best ones for you.
Fans Compare Julian Strawther to Michael Jordan as He Gets Advice From Isiah Thomas
“Tear down Michael Jordan’s statue outside the Chicago Arena replace it with a 50 foot tall Julian Strawther statue,” wrote a fan on X. But another pointed out, “That would be so hard to explain to your grandkids.” And for sure, it would be incredibly difficult to explain. But given how well Julian played tonight, we don’t think Denver Nuggets fans are going to care about logic or rationality.
Another fan joked, “When Michael Jordan grows up he wants to be as good as Julian Strawther.” After tonight’s game, don’t we all? But jokes aside, even Michael Jordan himself would be amazed by how well Julian handled the pressure tonight as his contributions going both ways forced a game seven against the Thunder.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
But not everyone was on board with these comparisons. One fan simply posted the meme of MJ watching something on an iPad and laughing at it. They were clearly implying that the 6x NBA champ would find these comparisons laughable. Another shared this sentiment as they sent a GIF of from Adam Sandler’s Billy Madison where Jim Downey says, “what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard.” It’s clear this fan is not happy with a relative novice compared to who many fans consider the GOAT of the sport.
Whichever side of the fence you stand on, one thing is undeniable — Julian Strawther was incredible tonight. And if Isiah Thomas is impressed with your showing tonight and praises you on national TV, you’re doing something right. And who knows? Strawther is only 23 now and if these showings continue, these Jordan comparisons may end up having some truth to them!
The post Isiah Thomas Issues Strong Message To 23YO Nuggets Star, Who Had Michael Jordan Trending After Game 6 vs OKC appeared first on EssentiallySports.
