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"I don't think there's a question who the greatest player would be" - Tracy McGrady says LeBron James playing in a triangle offense would make him a GOAT over Michael Jordan


The majority consider LeBron James to be second in the greatest player of all-time discussion, behind Michael Jordan, who went 6-0 in the NBA Finals, won six Finals MVP awards, five regular season MVPs, one DPOY trophy and 10 scoring titles.

However, Tracy McGrady believes that if LeBron grew up playing with the triangle system that gave Jordan the success he achieved in Chicago, King James would have grown his game to the point that the GOAT would not even be a debate.

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"If Bron got introduced to the triangle at an early age, Bron would have expanded his game tremendously," explained McGrady. "We probably would be seeing he's not as fast or uber athletic like he once was. But if we take Bron who he is now, with the athleticism, speed and everything, agility and put him in that triangle, learning it, I don't think there's any question who the greatest player would be."

LeBron never had a system because he is the system

According to McGrady, LeBron has never played in a system because, since he was young, he was so good that his teams never needed one to be successful. However, because LeBron was taught to make the right plays all the time, he is so unselfish that he is even willing to pass the ball to a wide-open teammate rather than take the game-winner himself.

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Because of that, his critics say that he does not have a clutch gene. While T-Mac did not say that, he mentioned that Bron needed players who are big shot-makers like Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving to be successful because he never developed that ability.

However, if he had played in the triangle since he was young, he would have learned the skills that would have put him above everybody else.

"That's what I'm saying," added T-Mac. "That's where his game didn't grow. I'm saying, in a triangle, it grows, right? Now he becomes a complete player because you have to be the closer in the triangle. And it gives you the clearance and space to operate because of all the other s–t that's going on. I think he would've learned the footwork, play with his back to the basket because that's where he didn't master."

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Related: "If I beat you in a game of H-O-R-S-E would you come and visit my school?" - When a college coach challenged Larry Bird to a game during a recruitment trip

Salley said LeBron would have won more rings if he played in a system

Former Detroit Pistons player John Salley also talked about how much better LeBron's NBA career would have been if he played in a system, While Salley did not say that James would have ended up better than Jordan, he said that King James would have definitely won more championships if he played in a system, although he did not specify it to be the triangle.

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"LeBron would have more championships if he had a system," said Salley on Gil's Arena. "I'm not saying that LeBron is better than Michael Jordan. I don't think anybody's better than Michael Jordan. But this is what I think about the system…In the triangle, LeBron pass that ball and run off the second guard option. Now you have to stay on LeBron. And he just keeps opening when they adjust, he scores. When they adjust that, that guy scores. And you put them in those positions to do it. It's to the next man. You help the next man, the ne xt man."

What Salley did not mention was what McGrady said: LeBron would have been forced to learn how to shoot clutch shots, play with his back to the basket, develop footwork and many more. If he had that and he played the game as long as he has right now, then yes, maybe the GOAT landscape would have been different.

But then again, that's just another T-Mac hypothetical.

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Related: "It happened to me before" - Allen Iverson related to LeBron James' NBA Finals losses

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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