McGrady Takes Lesson From Joe
Life is good for young Tracy McGrady.
After choosing the NBA over college two years ago, the 19-year-old Toronto Raptors forward is proving he made the right decision.
McGrady, the ninth overall pick in the 1997 draft and one of four teen-agers currently in the league, has the best of both worlds: He's living his dream of playing in the NBA, albeit for a mediocre team, and still receiving an education.
"Everything is pretty steady right now," McGrady said before Tuesday's 106-80 loss in Detroit. "We've got a young team, and to have Kevin Willis and Charles Oakley come and give some leadership has really been a pleasure."
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A pleasure because McGrady doesn't have to carry an armload of books around or get up in time for an 8 a.m. Psych 101 class, but he does have teachers. And between them, Oakley (35) and Willis (36) -- both acquired in June 1998 trades -- have 26-plus years of NBA experience to share with him.
McGrady, who attended high school at Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, N.C, said he's paying close attention -- particularly to Oakley.
"I'm learning a lot from (Oakley)," said McGrady, who has averaged almost 10 points and five rebounds this season. "The way he hustles, his work ethic is rubbing off on me. His tremendous leadership on and off the court, I think he's a great guy and just learn from him. "
"He's been in the league a lot of years, and he's been to the playoffs every year. He knows what it takes to win. You can't do anything but listen and learn from a guy like that. He takes me under his wing a little bit. He sometimes tells me to folow up my shot or things that he knows I can do, that he sees me not doing."
Oakley had little to tutor McGrady about after Friday's 90-82 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. After "getting a little kick in the butt" from coach Butch Carter for recent defensive lapses, McGrady put together his best all-around performance of the year.
He scored 12 points, dished out seven assists and had six rebounds, four on the offensive end. He also blocked four shots, had one steal and committed only one turnover. And in the game's final two minutes, McGrady played smothering defense on the ever-dangerous Ray Allen.
Against Detroit, McGrady, who averaged seven points and 4.2 rebounds in his rookie season, again wowed his elders late in the first quarter.
With 3:06 remaining, Mcgrady made a nice no-look pass to John Wallace in the middle of the paint, leading to two easy points and a 16-15 Raptors lead. On the Pistons' ensuing drive, McGrady, hands up and flailing, closely guarded Jerry Stackhouse's 3-point attempt, which fell harmlessly off the rim. McGrady then hit nothing but net on a 15-foot jumper on the other end of the court to put the Raptors ahead 18-15. He finished the night with nine points, four assists and three rebounds.
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| Tracy McGrady has his hoops lessons well in hand. (AP) |
That's exactly what coach Carter said he expects from McGrady, his teen-aged work-in-progress: solid minutes coming off the bench for rookie Vince Carter, a standout at North Carolina last season and McGrady's cousin.
Carter (6-6, 225 pounds) earned the starting small forward job in the abbreviated training camp, where he proved to be a marginally better defensive player.
But coach Carter said he doesn't know who, McGrady or his cousin Vinny, has the higher potential on offense.
"There are times when I think Vince is the best athlete on the team and then Tracy does something to shock me," Carter said. "He has the talent, he and Vince, to make a play out of nowhere."
That's exactly why Mcgrady (6-8, 210) isn't fazed by his sixth-man role. McGrady said he relishes the assignment of stirring things up off the bench and is thrilled, really, to have family sitting next to him in the locker room -- even if it cost him a starting job.
"I started outhe season pretty strong my second year, and it's another thing to have my cousin on the team," said McGrady, . "No problem at all. The best man gets the job. The coach feels he's the best fit for that position. I just come off the bench and give the second team a good spark. "
"I love coming off the bench. I'm 19 years old and have a lot of energy. So for me to come off the bench and pump up the second team really gives us a boost."
A boost the likes of Oakley and Willis will appreciate later in this compact season, which features several back-to-back nights for the Raptors and three sets of back-to-back-to-back games.
"Some of the vets are going to be tired from the back-to-back games," McGrady said. "I have the young legs, that extra energy that's going to really help us out, really get us motivated."
Just call it a payback to McGrady's mentors for their basketball 101 classes -- lessons McGrady wouldn't have learned in college.
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