Around the mid-2010s, the three-pointer exploded in popularity across basketball. Players had to adapt quickly, and these days, you’ll barely make an NBA roster without a decent shooting stroke.
When Tracy McGrady entered the league, nobody was obsessed with the three-point shot like they are now. The seven-time all-star dominated the mid-range game instead.
McGrady recently appeared on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast where they tackled a big question: Does anyone in today’s NBA compare to T-Mac in his prime? His answer was pretty straightforward.
He doesn’t think so.
“If Tatum took midranges, I would say Tatum,” McGrady told Arenas during their conversation.
The Toronto Raptors grabbed McGrady with the 9th overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft. He skipped college completely, jumping straight from high school to the pros. Over his 15-year career, T-Mac played for six different teams.
He spent his longest stretch – six seasons – with the Houston Rockets, appearing in 303 games and starting 293 of them.
But his most dominant years came in a different uniform.
After three seasons in Toronto, McGrady signed with Orlando as a free agent before the 2000-01 season. That move changed everything.
During his 2002-03 campaign with the Magic, McGrady led the entire NBA in scoring with a blistering 32.1 points per game. The following season, he topped the league again with 28.0 points.
Orlando saw the best version of Tracy McGrady the basketball world would ever witness.
During his recent podcast appearance with Arenas, the conversation turned to current NBA stars. When asked if any modern player resembles his prime, McGrady initially dismissed the idea completely.
After thinking for a few seconds, he mentioned Kevin Durant’s mid-range game as somewhat similar. But KD is nearing the end of his career, so McGrady didn’t feel that was the right comparison.
The discussion continued until T-Mac finally landed on Boston’s Jayson Tatum.
There was a catch, though.
McGrady said Tatum would be the closest comparison if the Celtics star took more mid-range shots. Like many modern players, Tatum has fallen into the three-point trap that dominates today’s game.
Last season, Tatum launched 10.1 three-pointers per game – the highest mark of his career.
That’s exactly why McGrady feels his game remains unique. In a league now obsessed with the three-ball, his mid-range mastery represents a style that’s becoming increasingly rare.
