Tracy McGrady pays it forward with important lessons for Orlando Magic

Tracy McGrady visited Orlando Magic practice on Thursday and addressed the team about togetherness and worked with Jonathan Isaac and the wings.

A few moments stick out in Tracy McGrady‘s development as a young player on the way to becoming a Hall of Famer.

Growing up in Auburndale, he remembers going to see his favorite player at the time Anfernee Hardaway play the Miami Heat in Games 3 and 4 of the 1997 Playoffs. Those two games might go down as the best individual playoff performance in team history as Anfernee Hardaway dropped 42 and 41 points following Rony Seikaly‘s ankle injury to stave off elimination and force a decisive Game 5 in Miami.

Tracy McGrady still vividly remembers going back to Anfernee Hardaway’s house following one of those games and being able to pick his brain about what he saw on the court and how he approached the game.

McGrady was about to enter the NBA Draft that summer (the Toronto Raptors selected him ninth overall). Those lessons stayed with him throughout his career, including four incredible seasons with the Magic.

McGrady was back in Orlando on Thursday trying to pay it forward. McGrady spoke to the team about sticking together through adversity. He then worked on mid-post and low-post moves with the Magic’s wings, taking some extra time to work with Jonathan Isaac after everyone began to dissipate.

He also gave advice to a young Magic team eager to make their mark in the league.

"“The message was basically I never played on the most talented team,” McGrady said. “When we made history and won 22 consecutive games. Everybody played their role. We played hard every night. We played smart. Then when adversity hit, guys stepped up and we had to take it to another level. The guys knew their roles, we played hard and we played smart. Most importantly, we cared for one another when we stepped on the court. We formed a chemistry that nobody could really break.”"

McGrady addressed the whole team and discussed how the Houston Rockets came together in 2008 to win 22 straight games, the second-longest win streak in NBA history. An injury to Yao Ming after the 12th game in that run could have easily derailed them.

The lesson from that streak was how the team had to trust each other and stick together.

McGrady was a superstar in that group, averaging 22.1 points and 6.2 assists per game in playing 21 of the 22 games of that streak. But without Yao Ming, they lacked a second go-to star. Instead, it was a group of grinders like Shane Battier and Chuck Hayes and Rafer Alston leading the charge.

The Magic learned how much they have to stick together and trust each other during their own frenzied 22-9 run to make the playoffs last year. The chemistry from within the team is certainly growing thanks to familiarity and consistency.

Orlando is not starting at zero, as some coaches might like to say with every training camp. The team seems to be picking things back up quickly after what coach Steve Clifford called a lackluster start Tuesday.

"“We don’t have to go over a lot of the maybe minor details as much,” Jonathan Isaac said. “It’s almost like we’re riding a bicycle. We had the summer off and now we are getting everything flowing again. That’s that read. That’s that defensive scheme. And it is starting to flow much much better.”"

Clifford said Thursday was the team’s best practice since training camp began. The team was more organized and efficient on both ends. It seems the Magic are making the progress they hoped to see and are picking up steam quickly.

That familiar feeling is helping the team grow in camp. The test comes Saturday when the Orlando Magic open their preseason against the San Antonio Spurs.

There is an eagerness for that first game. But the team is still putting in its work.

And that was evident with McGrady in the building.

After McGrady addressed the whole team, he went off to the side and worked with Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac and Wesley Iwundu on their footwork and mid-post game. Mohamed Bamba watched off to the side.

McGrady went through a combination of pivot moves to try to create separation and move into a dribble pull-up from all over the court. Isaac, who turned 22 on Thursday, stayed later and worked with McGrady for nearly a half-hour after practice was over.

It was quite the birthday present.

It is hard not to draw some comparison between Isaac at 6-foot-10 (maybe actually 7-feet) and the 6-foot-8 McGrady. McGrady entered the league as a big shooting guard and he quickly used his height and athleticism to shoot over opponents.

Those are certainly footsteps Isaac can follow.

"“I definitely want to have a low-post game, a mid-post game, a 3-point game as he does,” Isaac said. “I’m a little bigger in terms of height, to have size and be able to do everything that he does, I definitely see myself doing that.”"

All that instruction can only help, especially hearing it from a Hall of Fame player.

That was something McGrady appreciated when he was coming up as a player. It is why he remembers that story about spending time with Hardaway — a similarly big and revolutionary player for his time.

McGrady is trying to pay it forward to his hometown team and an organization that still means a lot to him.

As the Magic conclude training camp and get set for their preseason schedule to begin, their hopes are high. Players are rounding into form.

And McGrady sees a hungry team. They face a big challenge this season.

"“It should be motivation,” McGrady said. “When you are on a six-year drought, you’ve made the playoffs, now what? What are you going to do now? I’m sure these guys are motivated more than ever because they got a taste of the playoffs. I think they’ll do well.”"

The desire to do more is clearly within the team. After their wake-up call in the first practice, the Magic already seem to be sharpening their focus.

It could lead to big things.