Shooting is a complex art that forms an integral part of basketball today. Many essential aspects are critical to ensuring a player becomes a great shooter. However, not every effective shooter follows the same process. Hall-of-Famer Tracy McGrady’s shooting technique has a distinct difference compared to the legendary Michael Jordan.
Advertisement
Both players were savants at their craft and made a living with their jump shots. Jordan and McGrady were dominant mid-range scorers throughout their respective primes. McGrady took to Instagram to educate aspiring basketball players on tips that will help them shoot better.
View this post on Instagram
McGrady demonstrated that he strictly uses his guide hand to stabilize the ball. However, he flicks his thumb from his guide hand to help push the ball toward the net.
The core of his shooting form is similar to Jordan’s but differs in that aspect. The six-time champion, revealed at the 2006 Michael Jordan Flight School, that he uses just three fingers to shoot.
Those include his index and middle fingers in addition to the thumb on his shooting hand. He illustrated how to guide the ball using the ring finger and pinky.
Jordan’s lesson drilled the importance of utilizing the shooting hand to create a spin on the ball. On the other hand, McGrady relied on his guide hand’s thumb to generate the force needed for his shot. Although the difference between their shooting technique was significant, both managed to become stellar shooters.
However, when comparing their shooting techniques, it’s easy to identify which player was the better shooter in their career.
The better shooter between McGrady and Jordan
McGrady was a great mid-range shooter. He shot over 40% from two-point range in each season of his career on an average of 13 field goal attempts. However, that mark is incomparable to MJ. The Bulls superstar shot 51% from the two-point range throughout his career on 10.8 attempts.
The difference in their shooting ability lies in their three-point marksmanship. Jordan only made 581 three-pointers in his career while McGrady converted 1081 threes. Furthermore, the Bulls legend shot just 32.7% from the three-point range in 15 seasons whereas McGrady shot 33.8% from beyond the arc on a higher volume.
Although the former Magic star convincingly outshines Jordan in three-point shooting, it’s not enough to overtake the accumulation of MJ’s shooting ability.
McGrady was a subpar free-throw shooter at 74.6% in his career. But Jordan shot an incredibly efficient 83.5% from the charity stripe, enough to give him the edge.
Both players were great shooters during their respective careers, but McGrady’s technique seemingly fell short of Jordan’s.
