It is undeniable that McGrady has excellent scoring skills, but his ability to lead the team is very poor

On July 30, in the long history of the NBA, Tracy McGrady is undoubtedly a talented scorer. He won the scoring champion twice in his career and has become famous in history with the miracle of "35 seconds 13". However, as we put aside these dazzling halos and delve into McGrady's career, an unavoidable fact surfaced: his ability to lead the team is indeed disappointing. The huge contrast between McGrady's personal ability and team achievements has become the focus of long-term debate in basketball.

McDy's scoring ability needs no further description. In the 2002-03 season, he averaged 32.1 points per game, becoming the league's scoring leader; the following year he won this honor with an average of 28.0 points per game. His scoring methods are diverse, his jump shot is picturesque, his breakthrough is extremely sharp, and he also has a huge threat outside the three-point line. In the game against the Spurs on December 9, 2004, he scored 13 points in the last 35 seconds and led the team to complete a shocking reversal. This feat is called "McDy Moment" by fans and is still one of the greatest solo performances in NBA history. These achievements are enough to prove that McGrady is one of the top scorers in NBA history.

However, when we examine McGrady's leading performance, the picture appears dull. During the Raptors, he did not show his leadership temperament as a supporting role in Carter; in the four seasons after he switched to the Magic, although his personal data was impressive, the team always hovered in the first round of the playoffs. In the 2002-03 season, the Magic suffered a tragic reversal in a good situation where they led the Pistons 3-1, and McGrady's performance in a critical battle is hard to be considered qualified. After joining the Rockets, the "MM combination" he and Yao Ming formed was highly expected, but injuries and chemical reaction issues made the pair never truly realize their potential. What is even more embarrassing is that McGrady never broke through the first round of the playoffs in his career, and this awkward record was not broken until he played with the Spurs as a role player in the 2013 Finals.

McDy's lack of ability to lead the team is of many aspects. First, there are problems with his leadership style. Unlike leaders such as Jordan and Kobe, McGrady prefers to motivate his teammates with personal performance rather than words. When the team is in trouble, he often chooses to fight alone rather than mobilize the entire team. This "lost hero" style of playing has dropped sharply under high-intensity defense in the playoffs. Secondly, McGrady's defensive attitude has been criticized. As the core of the team, he is often distracted on the defensive end, and this negative attitude will undoubtedly affect the team's defensive enthusiasm. Furthermore, McGrady's lack of durability and was troubled by injuries later in her career, which also limited his sustainability as a leader.

McDy's ability to lead the team is pale in comparison with the top scorers of his contemporaries. Kobe led the Lakers to win five championships, Iverson led the team to the finals with a single core, and Nowitzki proved his leadership value with a single core. McGrady, on the other hand, has never proved that he can take a team to the height he deserves. Even when the Rockets broke through the first round in the 2008-09 season, McGrady was absent due to injury, which further confirmed his criticism of "insufficient leadership ability".

McDie's case provides us with a profound inspiration: basketball is ultimately a team sport. No matter how strong his personal ability is, if it cannot be transformed into a team success, its historical status will eventually be greatly reduced. Modern basketball is increasingly emphasizing teamwork. Players like Curry and Jokic are great not only because of their outstanding personal abilities, but also because they can improve teammates and lead the team to victory. McGrady's career is like a mirror that reflects the limitations of personal heroism basketball.

Of course, we cannot completely deny McGrady's value. He is undoubtedly successful in terms of business value and fan influence. His elegant style has attracted a large number of fans and is well-known to Chinese fans and has also made him gain a huge overseas market. But when we seriously discuss historical status with the standards of competitive sports, leading team ability is an indispensable dimension of judgment. In this regard, McGrady has indeed left too many regrets.

Looking back at McGrady's career is like appreciating an unfinished masterpiece. He has all the talents to become a legend, but he has never been able to convert these talents into team honors. In the NBA, a league that advocates victory, leadership ability is the ultimate criterion for measuring the quality of stars. McGrady's story reminds us that the most moving stories on the basketball court are always written by a team rather than an individual.