Tracy McGrady was one of the best players in the league in the 2000s, and everybody saw it whenever he stepped onto the court. McGrady is a former scoring champion and adept defender whose career was cut short by injuries. Based on his prime, many people wonder how good could McGrady have been if he had stayed healthy.
McGrady was the leader of the Houston Rockets alongside Yao Ming but would end up leaving the team at the end of the 2008-09 season. During that time, he played with Shane Battier, who had immense praise for McGrady, calling him the best passer that he had ever played with.
“T-Mac was an absolute handful, so aggressive. He was a monster, especially early in his career before his injuries. When I got to Houston, what struck me about T-Mac was that he’s probably the best passer I ever played with. He was a great pitcher in high school, he saw everything. Everything. As a shooter, you just want the ball in the pocket. Hit me in my chest and I’m gonna give you an assist and T-Mac put that on the money every single time. Super underrated and a willing passer, for as great of a scorer he was, he was just an absolute handful as a basketball player.”
Tracy McGrady: What Could Have Been?
In his career, T-Mac averaged 19.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. Battier praised McGrady’s passing abilities because T-Mac has had multiple seasons with over 5 assists and one season with 6.5 assists. He could drop dimes, but it may be a stretch to say he was one of the best passers of his era, considering all the other point guards that existed at the time.
McGrady never managed to make it past the first round of the playoffs while leading his teams, a massive black mark on his career record. If he didn’t start falling off because of the injuries he suffered, McGrady could have been looked at as one of the greats of his era. Instead, he is only remembered by basketball purists that remember how it was like to watch him play.
