Tracy McGrady was one of the smoothest scorers the NBA has ever seen, but when asked who in today’s league comes closest to replicating his prime game, the Hall of Famer wasn’t convinced there’s anyone out there right now. Speaking recently, McGrady admitted that while Kevin Durant once had similarities, he’s past his prime now.
“In today’s game, I don’t see [anyone],"said McGrady on Gil' s Arena. "KD’s older, but the younger guys, I don’t see anyone.”
McGrady, who played from 1997 to 2013, was a three-level scorer and two-time scoring leader who could make his shots in a variety of ways. Jayson Tatum is arguably the closest comp to him in modern times, but he doesn’t fully fit the mold either because of his reliance on threes.
“I think it’s gonna be hard to be that because I took midranges," TMac added. "If Tatum was a guy that took those midranges, I would say Tatum, if he played that in-between game.”
With career averages of 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game, McGrady was a versatile scorer and was highly impactful on the court. With elite athleticism, quickness, and basketball IQ, he was a tough assignment for defenders, especially in the mid-range, where he was able to shoot over any shot contest.
His game is comparable to legends like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Kevin Durant, who are all recognized as some of the greatest mid-range scorers in league history. Unfortunately, the mid-range game is dying in the NBA, and Durant is really the last great mid-range scorer we've seen.
Thanks to the evolution of the three-pointer, the league is more spaced out than ever, and teams have emphasized playing on the perimeter. With teams preferring threes of layups nowadays, those mid-range shots are considered the least valuable, and only a select few players have the green light to shoot them.
Today, Jayson Tatum is one of the few to shoot the ball in that area of the court, and he's arguably closest to McGrady just based on his multifaceted scoring abilities. With a similar frame and build, Tatum is money in the mid-range, and it's part of the reason why he was able to lead the Celtics to a title in 2024 with averages of 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game on 45.2% shooting.
Clearly, times have changed in the NBA, and the players who thrived in the 90s and 2000s are not the same ones who might excel in today's NBA. For McGrady, he came up at the perfect time, and while he was never able to win a ring in his career, his legacy lives on as one of the most feared scorers of his era.
The good news is, the mid-range may be making a comeback thanks to players like Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic, Devin Booker, and Jalen Brunson. It's only a matter of time before someone new comes along and makes it popular again, and maybe then T-Mac will finally have a young player to compare his game to.
For now, McGrady stands alone, and that may be part of what makes his legacy so unique. While the game has changed, his skill set would still dominate any era, and maybe one day a new star will bring back that in-between scoring style that made T-Mac so special.
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