For most of his 16 years in the NBA, Tracy McGrady was among the finest players in the league. He was a perennial All-Star at the start of the millennium and built a Hall of Fame resume. Unfortunately, he never played on a team worthy of competing for the title. Except for Yao Ming, he never had a superstar teammate who could take the load off him on the court. Had he been playing today, he could have teamed up with superstars and formed a superteam and it’s seemingly something he’s pondered about.
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In a Q-and-A on Instagram, the retired star was asked, “In today’s game, [which player] compliments you?” While most former players would have had to think about the answer, McGrady had it on the tip of his tongue.
He started by name-dropping Joel Embiid. He called the Philadelphia 76ers superstar “a great player” and praised him for his defensive prowess. McGrady added that he could operate a catch-and-shoot threat, a rare skillset for an elite center. He also used Embiid’s stint with James Harden as an example to make a case for himself.
He said, “You go back and look at his year with James Harden with the pick and roll. He won MVP off of that.” The Hall of Famer was a terrific pick-and-roll player so naturally, he would’ve enjoyed playing alongside Embiid.
The next player he named was three-time and reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic. McGrady said that playing alongside the Denver Nuggets superstar would allow him to play off the ball and use his shooting prowess.
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Every guard that hasn’t played with Stephen Curry wished they could share the court with him. McGrady is no different. He said, “If I was to pick a guard in today’s game, it’d be none other than Steph Curry.” He claimed that the Golden State Warriors superstar’s ability to disrupt defenses with his movement would have created easy one-on-one matches, which would’ve been perfect for him.
Two of the three players the Hall of Famer picked have already won a championship. He believes the third — Joel Embiid — will also win one soon.
Tracy McGrady predicts Joel Embiid will win at least one title in his career
In another Q-and-A, McGrady was asked to predict how many championships Embiid and San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama would finish their careers with. He replied,
“I think [Victor Wembanyama] wins multiple. He’s at a franchise that knows how to build championship rosters… I think with the league so competitive and multiple teams having multiple superstars on their team, you’re lucky to get one. So I’m going Joel Embiid one.”
Embiid is now one of those teams with multiple superstars that McGrady spoke about. Paul George’s addition to a roster that already boasted the former MVP and Tyrese Maxey has put the league on notice. The 76ers have a roster worth competing for the title. However, it remains to be seen whether Embiid could lead them to the championship or finish his career with many individual accolades but no ring like McGrady.
