Before joining the Miami Heat in the latter part of his career, Shane Battier spent some time with the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets.
During his time with the Rockets, Battier got a chance to play alongside Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, who was best known for his amazing ability to score the ball in many different ways while in the league.
While many remember McGrady for his scoring abilities, Battier recently called the seven-time All-Star the best passer he ever played with.
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Battier’s statement might come as a bit of a shock to some people. However, McGrady did average a total of 4.4 assists per game throughout his time in the NBA and constantly showed off his solid passing ability.
The two spent multiple seasons together on the Rockets, but they were unable to help the team make it far in the playoffs. McGrady and legendary center Yao Ming took care of most of the scoring for those Rockets teams while Battier made his mark as a great defender and shooter from beyond the arc.
The Duke University product spent a total of three seasons with the Heat and was able to win back-to-back titles with the organization in 2012 and 2013. He averaged 5.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game during his stint with Miami while knocking down 38.2 percent of his attempts from downtown.
As for McGrady, he was never able to win an NBA title before retiring. The closest he got to winning a championship was with the San Antonio Spurs in 2013. Ironically, the Spurs wound up losing in the NBA Finals in seven games to Battier and the Heat that year.
The two-time scoring champ finished his career with averages of 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while connecting on 43.5 percent of his shots from the field and 33.8 percent of his shots from deep.
