National Basketball Association

Tracy McGrady: Durant and Irving are most skilled duo ever

Published Apr. 20, 2022 7:40 p.m. ET

Tracy McGrady knows a thing or two about dynamic duos.

The Hall of Fame shooting guard has suited up alongside a number of talented teammates, including Yao Ming, Grant Hill and even his cousin, Vince Carter.

McGrady's basketball voyage is a well-traveled one, and earlier this week, he joined Shannon Sharpe on "Club Shay Shay" to discuss his career, today's NBA landscape, and the best duos he's seen.

According to McGrady, none hold a candle to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

"I haven't seen a duo that skilled since Mike [Jordan] and Scottie Pippen," McGrady said this week on the podcast. "Pip did have an offensive game — he averaged 20 points — and Mike was just so great. Pip didn't have what Kyrie does in his bag. There's no other dynamic duo that compares to them. Even if you look at what LeBron [James] and Dwayne Wade were, skill-wise, they're still not touching those two."

"Kyrie has a very deep bag," McGrady continued. "He's got a couple sacks on his back. I've only seen Rod Strickland finish like he can at the rim. He was one of the greatest finishers at that size that I've ever seen. Kevin Durant's height is what makes him so unique. He's 7-foot, and to be able to shoot the ball and be that efficient … this man is shooting 50-something percent and it's all jumpers. That is insane to me. His height is what makes him so unique and dynamic."

Wade and James didn't disagree with McGrady's comments, even those regarding their own Miami pairing.

Both Sharpe and Skip Bayless agreed with McGrady's assessment on Wednesday's "Undisputed".

"I think sometimes skill and being better are confused," Sharpe said. "I think Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes are more skilled at the quarterback position than Tom Brady. Brady can't throw the ball on the move with the accuracy those guys can.

"Kyrie from the free throw line to the rim, there's nobody that [matches him]. Now we take a 7-foot guy [in Durant]. He can handle the ball like a point guard, can shoot the 3, the midrange is his specialty. If we're talking about offensive skill players, it's hard for me to say I've seen two better than Kyrie and KD. They're not better than Jordan and Pippen, Shaq and Kobe, LeBron and Wade, even LeBron and Kyrie. But just skill? Nobody's more skilled than those two."

The two showstoppers are currently putting their talents on full display for the world to see in the postseason.

Durant and Irving currently hold a 6-4 playoff record as teammates, while averaging 54.0 PPG, 14.0 RPG and 7.2 APG on .489/.395/.910 shooting splits combined. They were responsible for a direct increase in points margin during last year's postseason, as Brooklyn posted a +9.9 winning edge with both in the lineup. That number dipped to -4.3 after Irving went down with an ankle injury.

The duo hasn't had a ton of experience together, but in the small sample size fans have seen, a skill set that many believe is unmatched has unveiled itself to the world.