Longtime NBA vet Tracy McGrady knows a thing or two about improving his game. The former Raptors, Magic, and Rockets star received just 18.4 minutes per game in his rookie season after being the ninth pick in 1997, straight out of high school. So when he sees players like Rudy Gobert with a limited offensive skill set, he’s damn near offended.
While he rose to fame thanks to his explosive hops, T-Mac worked his way toward becoming one of the most polished all-around scorers of his era, twice leading the NBA in points per game in his 15-year NBA career.
McGrady recently sat down with a few other former hoopers, and the topic of Gobert was brought up. That’s when T-Mac didn’t hold back on his opinion of the new Minnesota Timberwolves’ big man.
“This is what I’ve been wondering, what the f— are you doing in the offseason? Like, what is your workout?
I was so mad at Rudy when they were playing against the [Houston] Rockets one year bro, and Chris Paul was guarding him in the post. I was mad as s—. He couldn’t do nothing. Bro, you’re 7’2″, and a point guard is guarding you. He had no moves.”
Tracy McGrady on his frustrations with Rudy Gobert’s game
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Is Tracy McGrady’s Rudy Gobert criticism warranted?
If we’re being fair, McGrady was an incredible scorer, but his defensive effort trailed off quite a bit during the back nine of his career. He could never dream of making a similar impact on the defensive end, yet, McGrady’s also not 7-foot-1.
Gobert has improved offensively since coming into the league, and he actually led the NBA in field goal percentage in three of the past four seasons. But again, he’s like 2 feet away from the hoop with an outstretched arm, a sure advantage.
It’s true, Gobert will never give us shades of Hakeem Olajuwon or Kevin Garnett on the low block, but the Timberwolves will be happy with his defensive effort. They don’t need someone who tries to take the game over, they already have Anthony Edwards for that. And Karl-Anthony Towns plus D’Angelo Russell.
In essence, it would be strange to see Gobert try and do too much with his post moves. He’s not really a finesse player. At the same time, yes, he should be able to dominate the diminutive Chris Paul or any other point guard near the hoop.
While McGrady’s right in that Gobert doesn’t have an all-around game, and maybe that’s why he’s a bit underappreciated, what the Stifle Tower does do, he does extremely well, as shown by his three Defensive Player of the Year awards.
There’s no need for Gobert to reinvent the wheel, he’s already a top center in the league. I don’t think he has that Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid style in his game, but they also can’t defend at the level Gobert can. You win some and lose some.
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