"I can't put you in my top 5 or top 10" - Tracy McGrady doesn't think Stephen Curry can carry a team by himself
Despite the lingering skepticism from some former NBA stars about Stephen Curry’s impact and his rightful place in the league’s rich history, his individual accomplishments speak volumes. With four NBA titles, two MVP trophies, and the distinction of being the “greatest shooter of all time,” Curry's greatness is undeniable. Yet, there are those who question his ability to lead a team to the postseason.
One of those doubters is Tracy McGrady, the former NBA All-Star and two-time scoring champion. In a post on the platform X, formerly Twitter, McGrady made his thoughts on Curry clear, stating that he couldn’t place him in his top five or even top ten players if he can’t carry his team by himself.
Not even in his top-ten
As much of a fan as T-Mac is of what Steph has done so far in his 15-year career, the 6-foot-8 wingman/small forward couldn’t bring himself to include the latter in his top ten primarily because of what the sweet-shooting guard wasn’t able to do during the 2019-2020 season.
“He hasn’t cracked my top 10 yet. He just hasn’t,” Tracy said.
The 2019-2020 season was a challenging one for the Golden State Warriors, marking a low point in Curry’s tenure. With Kevin Durant's departure to the Brooklyn Nets, Klay Thompson's recovery from a torn ACL, and Curry's own injury that limited him to just five games, the team faced significant hurdles. These circumstances, often overlooked, played a crucial role in the team's performance.
Those developments left considerable holes in the roster filled by the likes of Glenn Robinson III, Eric Paschall, Marquesse Chriss, Omari Spellman, and Jordan Poole, playing in his rookie season. To date, all of these players save for Poole, are no longer playing in the NBA. The result? The Dubs finished with a 15-50 record, the worst in the league that season.
However, all that seems to be lost on T-Mac.
“But if you go back in his career and look at when Draymond is out of the lineup for the season, when Klay Thompson is out for the season or half the season, to me, if you’re that ‘great,’ if you’re going to be a top-five, and one of your guys is missing, and you can’t make the playoffs, I can’t put you in my top five or top 10. I just can’t,” the seven-time All-NBA team member explained.
Doesn’t believe Steph is great
If McGrady's logic is to be followed, a player’s individual greatness ties in with a team’s success. That reasoning certainly holds weight. That said, Steph has led the Warriors to four championships, the last in 2022, when they defeated the heavily favored Boston Celtics. But apparently, that feat still isn’t enough to catapult Curry into the hallowed halls of the top five or even top 10 players in T-Mac’s list.
“Greatness to me is when one of your guys is out, you still got to elevate your team at least to the playoffs. They don’t even make the playoffs when Klay or Draymond are out of the lineups. And they haven’t won a Play-In game at all. So, top five? No chance,” Tracy stressed.
McGrady isn’t the first, and he will not be the last former NBA player to criticize Curry’s legacy. But the numbers don’t lie—Steph has consistently proven himself to be one of the best players in the league, if not the best point guard of all time.
