Jayson Tatum has been one of the best players in the NBA over the last five years, and his playing style has caught the eye of seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady.
McGrady appeared on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, “Gil’s Arena,” where he was asked which current NBA player resembles his prime self.
“In today’s game? I don’t see anybody,” McGrady said on Wednesday, via Celtics On SI. “It’s going to be hard to do that in today’s game because I took midranges. If Tatum were a guy who took those, I would say Tatum. Not the fluidity or how I moved. I was fast, bro. If he played that in-between game, then yeah.”
McGrady entered the NBA in 1997, a time when mid-range shots were popular. Since he departed from the NBA in 2012, the league has increasingly shifted towards three-point shooting.
The Boston Celtics averaged 15 three-point attempts per game in 2012, with that number increasing dramatically over the past decade. The 2024-25 Celtics averaged 48.2 three-pointers per game, representing a significant rise of almost 33 three-pointers per game.
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Tatum adopted the trend of three-point shooting, averaging 10.1 attempts per game last season, the highest on the team.
Although Tatum may not possess McGrady’s midrange shooting ability, he does showcase remarkable defensive skills, impressive athleticism and strong leadership that resembles McGrady.
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