Tracy McGrady had a surprising assessment of LeBron James’ one-on-one game. The seven-time NBA All-Star was a guest on “The Makeshift” podcast on March 27. During his participation, he touched on several topics, including the best one-on-one player in the NBA.
McGrady said it was hard to pick one since fans tended to look at the stars and high-profile players when in reality, role players can be terrific one-on-one hoopers. The retired guard mentioned James as a good example of how being the best player in a five-on-five setup doesn’t necessarily mean they can be dominant in a one-on-one matchup.
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“I think LeBron has been amazing for 22 freaking years,” McGrady said. “And he’s been the best basketball player for, you know, God knows how long. But if you put him in one-on-one? I think he’ll get crushed. Yeah, I think he’ll get crushed amongst guys that are actually in the NBA. And I’m sure LeBron would tell you that.
Additionally, McGrady said that James’ game is built for playing five-on-five matchups. He mentioned three players who shined in one-on-one matchups: Kobe Bryant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, stating that James couldn’t do anything against that trio.
McGrady also touched on the comparisons between James and Michael Jordan, praising both players and asking for the discussion to end since they both have had amazing careers and dominated their eras.
The conversation about James’ ability to win one-on-one games has been around for a while. Michael Beasley reportedly beat him often during their time together in Miami (a story Beasley denied), which helped fans reinforce the belief that the four-time NBA champion wasn’t made for those setups.