Tracy McGrady is one of the most talented stars from his generation. Although his lack of playoff success tarnishes him in some people’s eyes, those who witnessed him play firsthand understand the rarity of his skillset.
Because of that, McGrady has enjoyed a lot of success in recent years as an analyst. His observations come from a legitimate place of knowledge.
Recently, McGrady appeared on a podcast and decided to offer his thoughts on one of the NBA’s more polarizing players: Rudy Gobert.
The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Gobert this past offseason in a massive blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz. It cost them Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt, a 2023 first-round pick, a 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 pick swap, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 first-round pick – but in return they got a three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
As good as Gobert is on one side of the floor, though – that’s how bad he is on the other. And McGrady recently decided to call him out for it.
“This is what I’ve been wondering, what the f**k are you doing in the offseason? Like, what is your workout?” McGrady openly wondered on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast. “I was so mad at Rudy when they were playing against the Rockets one year bro and Chris Paul was guarding him in the post, I was mad as s**t. He couldn’t do nothing.
“Bro you’re 7’2″ and a point guard is guarding you, he had no moves.”
Wondering what Gobert is doing in the offseason to fix his disastrous offensive game is fair. That’s the kind of pressure you have to face when franchises mortgage their futures to acquire you, and when you get $205 million contracts.
So what has Gobert been up to this offseason? It’s unclear. There have been photos of him chilling.
He has done some media with the Wolves.
He has spoken quite honestly about why the Jazz gave up on him.
But has he put in legit work to up his offensive skills? That is unclear.
Now that’s a vacation. https://t.co/btOfaqqqp1
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 7, 2022
Ultimately 2022-23 will be a big year for Gobert’s legacy. If he comes back with some semblance of an offensive game, a lot of his critics will clam up and stop with the frequent condemnation.
But if he comes back the same old Rudy Gobert, expect more of the same from his haters.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
