Tracy McGrady highlighted his most underrated player of the '90s: "It was so hard to guard this dude"
When people talk about the most underrated players from the 1990s, the usual expectation is someone who collected a decent number of individual accolades in the form of All-Star and All-NBA nods, but never got the media push needed to elevate his legacy.
But for Tracy McGrady , the most underrated guy from that decade wasn't a big-name star; rather, it was a one-time All-Star, Jamal Mashburn , a scorer so tough that T-Mac admitted he constantly felt the pressure of trying to slow him down.
McGrady never took "Monster Mash" lightly
Despite spending only 11 seasons in the NBA, Mashburn put together a strong resume, finishing with a career scoring average of 19.1 points per game.
Moreover, across his stints with the Dallas Mavericks , Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Hornets , he constantly averaged 19.9 points per game or better for each of those franchises.
Speaking on his podcast, T-Mac delved deep into the challenge of facing a guy like Jamal, some intricacies that the stat sheets never showcased. He talked about Mashburn's physicality - how he could get into the paint at will, use his 6'8" frame to draw contact and score from anywhere on the court.
And if a defender dared to back off and allowed Jamla the space to shoot, he knocked down shots from beyond the arc with ease, as evidenced by him boasting a three-point percentage of 34.5.
"One of my underrated players and I always talk about him 'cause I had some battles with him, was Mashburn, dog. Monster Mash! I love competing against Mash, bro," McGrady said in a discussion with Vince Carter on his podcast. "Although I figured him out, it was so hard to guide this dude because he's 6'8", he outweighs me and he's strong as an Ox."
McGrady compared Mashburn to Doncic
More notably, McGrady even compared Mashbirn to a modern-day scoring machine like Luka Doncic.
The point he emphasized was that, just like the Los Angeles Lakers ' guard, Mashburn didn't look like the quickest or fastest player on the court.
Still, no matter the situation, pick-and-roll at the top of the key or one-on-one with a stronger, more imposing defender, Mashburn simply knew how to get buckets for his team.
"He's like Luka. He's not athletic - doesn't really jump high - he's not quick. He's not the fastest. They know how to use their body to create space to get that shot off, " McGrady added. "Those guys are the toughest to freaking guard. He could put you on the post. He got handles, he could take you on the perimeter, pick and roll, or iso, like Mash, Man. He was really, really tough to deal with."
It all shows how certain players slip through the cracks because the era they played in didn't spotlight them enough. Who knows, if Mashburn were playing today instead of the '90s, with the kind of production he has, he would have definitely been a multi-million-dollar earning forward, featuring on a championship-caliber team.
Then, on the other hand, every era in the history of basketball has had this kind of underrated players who never got the credit that they deserved for their playing ability.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
