"He's playing basketball the way Kobe played it, the way MJ played it" - T-Mac is impressed with SGA's throwback playing style originally appeared on Basketball Network .
Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 's game has been heavily criticized by his detractors. They say that Shai is a free-throw merchant whose offensive game relies a lot on drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line.
However, Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady sees SGA's game in a different light. During his recent appearance on The Young Man and the Three podcast, McGrady said that Gilgeous-Alexander has a throwback style that reminds him of two of the greatest scorers to ever touch a basketball.
"I think he's incredible," said McGrady. "I'm not saying he's bringing it back, but because he's the MVP of the league, I think he's really put a spotlight on 'Yo, you ain't got to shoot all these 3's.' We don't have to shoot all these 3s. We can get here in the in-between game and make something happen. When the game gets tough, I could play around the free-throw line and get to my spot. I don't have to get here or create anything off the dribble to shoot a three."
"Like he's playing basketball the way Kobe played it, the way MJ played it. 'In-between' game is what I see from Shai, and he's surrounded by shooters," added T-Mac. "So if he could get to his spots, and that's why he didn't have too many bad games, because he's not settling for 3s."
In an NBA era where the 3-point shot is king, Gilgeous-Alexander is a ray of light to basketball purists like McGrady.Although he is a respectable 35.5 percent shooter from 3-point range, Shai does not rely on the three-ball as much as many players do.
SGA's 5.7 3-point attempts per game ranked just 80th among 542 NBA players, while his 435 3-point attempts this season are only 44th overall in the league. On the other hand, he ranked second behind DeMar DeRozan in 2-point jump shots made (261) and attempted (495). Gilgeous-Alexander's 52.7 percent shooting clip from those shots also ranked second behind Kevin Durant .
This postseason, SGA is averaging only 4.9 3-pointers per game, which is 51st overall. At 1.5 makes per game, that means only 4.5 points of the Canadian's 30.4 scoring production per game comes from behind the 3-point arc.
For his career, only 22 percent of Shai's shot attempts were 3-pointers, which is close to Kobe Bryant's 21 percent. Michael Jordan has a significantly lower percentage at a mere 7.2 percent, but that was because there wasn't as much emphasis on the 3-pointer during the 80s and 90s as compared to the current millennium. However, the bottom line is that Gilgeous-Alexander is not in love with the 3-pointer as his peers are.
Another former NBA player, Jeff Teague , also praised Gilgeous-Alexander for going against the grain. The former Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard mentioned that today's players are taught to go for a layup or shoot the three-ball. However, the Thunder superstar has shown that one can win MVP and lead his team to the best record in the league by shooting the so-called "middy."
"I think SGA saved the NBA," said Teague. "He saved the NBA because the NBA is a copycat league & he perfected the mid-range game… kids now get crucified for wanting to shoot the mid-range & not a three or a layup. Him being the MVP & his go-to shot is a mid-range, he literally saved the NBA or basketball. If you can perfect it, you'll always get a good shot."
Reliance on analytics has changed the way basketball is played. And it didn't help that the Golden State Warriors won four NBA titles from 2015 to 2022 using the 3-ball as their main weapon. However, instead of conforming to the norm, SGA has led the Thunder to the top of the NBA while winning MVP honors with a game that had been lost in time.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
