Want to score like Tracy McGrady? Try doing these exercises to develop a well-rounded offense.
Tracy McGrady was one of the deadliest scorers in NBA history.
When he was healthy, no one was able to stop him.
He had so much skill, size, and athleticism that he could school you while blowing past you.
Kobe Bryant, a rival and friend, said that he had trouble defending T-Mac because he was able to do all the stuff the Mamba was able to do, but had more size.
Via ESPN:
“I always wished if I had one player to play with, it was [McGrady]. Because he can do everything I could do, but he was taller.”
McGrady Scores 13 Points in 33 Seconds Against Spurs
An example of his superior scoring ability happened during a game against the San Antonio Spurs in 2004.
McGrady, at the time, was playing in his first season with Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets.
The team started the season off on rocky tracks and they needed this win.
The Rockets were recently on a 5 game losing streak and needed to string some wins together to back on track.
This win would’ve given them their third straight win, and more importantly, their swagger back.
But they were playing against a powerhouse and it was not going to be easy.
The Rockets started the game off well, as they led after the first quarter. But once the second quarter began, things started to fall apart.
Manu Ginobili came into the second quarter and scored 10 points, cutting the Rockets lead down to 4.
Then, in the third quarter, Tim Duncan came in and scored 12 points and blocked 3 shots. His phenomenal play helped the Spurs get the lead on their opponents.
By the end of the third, the Spurs were leading 58-54.
San Antonio had the upper hand entering the fourth and the trend continued… until the last 50 seconds of the game that is.
Feeling a sense of urgency, McGrady entered the zone and completely destroyed the Spurs’ defence.
Watch his handy work below:
How Did Tracy McGrady Score 13 Points in 33 Seconds?
To win this game, McGrady had to make a bunch of clutch 3-pointers.
All of the shots he took were against contenders, some of whom were all up in his personal space.
But he was able to leap over them while maintaining his composure to get good looks at the basket.
How to Score Like Tracy McGrady
So, how was T-Mac able to develop his game (and how can you copy him)?
Well, McGrady was an athletic, talented scorer.
Thus, to be able to score like McGrady, you have to have the fundamentals of shooting down, have good core strength, and have a good vertical.
To improve these aspects of your game, do these 4 workouts:
Form Shooting
Form shooting is one of the best ways to get your shooting fundamentals down.
It’ll help you get comfortable with your shot and help you build muscle memory.
So, to practice this, do the Steve Kerr shooting workout.
You can learn how here.
Core Conditioning
Having a strong core is essential for shooting contested shots.
The reason why is because you need to be stable so that you don’t mess up your shot form.
If your core and upper body are strong, you’ll be steady and balanced as you shoot the ball.
So, to improve your core strength, do the Steph Curry Core Workout.
You can learn how here.
Increase Vertical
Being able to jump high is important in clutch moments because it’ll allow you to leap over your defender, giving you a better look at the basket.
And if you can see the hoop, you’ll have a cleaner shot.
In addition to that, jumping higher than your defender will make it more difficult for them to block or contest your shot.
So, to improve your vertical, do the Candace Parker Box Jump Workout.
You can learn how here.
Practice Layups
I also want to add that McGrady didn’t just shoot long-range shots in the clutch –he also attacked the basket on other occasions.
He may have shot a lot of 3-pointers in the final seconds of this game.
But there were many other times when he had to attack the rim to get the win.
So, in addition to the above workouts, you should also do this layup drill that will teach you how to make various types of layups.
You can learn how here.
Final Thoughts
Tracy McGrady was a fantastic scorer who was able to get points in so many ways.
He was able to shoot from distance, pull up in the mid-range, and attack the basket.
So, if you want to develop some of T-Mac’s scoring ability, do the workouts I shared above.
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P.S. If you’re struggling to improve in basketball, you may be training wrong.
This is why you need to check out my Old Man Game Activity Guides. They are convenient training systems that will help you work on your fundamentals and conditioning.
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