By John Denton

July 2, 2015

ORLANDO – During a mid-practice dispute on Thursday as to which team got possession of the ball after it bounced out of bounds, new Orlando Magic coach Scott Skiles stepped in with a question for the players.

``Who is the Secretary of State?’’ Skiles asked.

One player excitedly screamed out, ``John … Connors?’’

When Magic point guard Elfrid Payton spoke up and correctly said, ``John Kerry,’’ his team was awarded possession of the ball and practice proceeded.

The moment – just one small snippet of the first three practice sessions as the Magic ready themselves for Saturday’s start of the Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League – said a lot about Skiles’ abilities as a teacher and his willingness to keep players on their toes. Also, it spoke to the maturity and development of the 21-year-old Payton, who is looking to make another big jump in his game following a successful rookie season with the Magic.

``I just like to throw in some current events every now and then and see if anybody is paying attention,’’ Skiles said with a chuckle after the practice.

Skiles, who was hired by the Magic as their new coach on May 29, has been working feverishly to put together a coaching staff and a game plan for the start of summer league action. Skiles has also been around the Magic headquarters most every day since his appointment as head coach, something that has allowed him to start developing a relationship with the likes of Aaron Gordon, Dewayne Dedmon, Devyn Marble and Payton – returning players expected to compete in a few summer league games over the coming days.

The practices leading up to the summer league have allowed Skiles to be back in the gym and coaching players for the first time since January of 2013 when he stepped down as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. He is a basketball lifer, having played or coached at a high level for much of his 51 years. He admitted being back in the gym and working with young players again has been invigorating.

``I enjoy doing this a lot and I like working with young guys. If you are a teacher and all of a sudden you see a light bulb go off in somebody and you’ve helped them, that’s the rewarding part of it. That’s always the rewarding part of coaching,’’ Skiles said. ``I’ve done this many times now and I have a really good comfort level with it.’’

Skiles will let new Magic assistant coaches Adrian Griffin, Monte Mathis, Mario Ellie and Conner Henry coach one of the Magic squads in the 10-team, 25-game Summer League. Because of space restrictions, the games are closed to the public, but they all can be viewed on NBA TV starting Saturday morning at 9 a.m.

A standout point guard during his playing heyday – including a stellar five-year run with the Magic – Skiles knows that the relationship between head coach and point guard is often critical. Accordingly, he’s worked hard to establish a bond with Payton, the fourth-place finisher in last season’s Rookie of the Year voting. In addition to several chatting sessions around the Magic’s headquarters, Skiles and Payton exchanged hundreds of text messages throughout the NBA playoffs to talk about different basketball scenarios.

``It’s been good getting to know him and seeing how he thinks and he can see how I think,’’ said Payton, who played in all 82 games as a NBA rookie, compiled two triple-doubles and averaged 8.5 points, 6.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.73 steals. ``Making sure that we’re on the same page is going to be big. At the end of the day, I’m going to have to be a coach on the floor. If I’m thinking like him that will give us a better chance to win.’’

Payton has already gotten to know Skiles’ intense and no-nonsense approach to basketball and he likes it.

``Really disciplined with a lot of attention to details,’’ Payton said. ``It’s about doing the little things, making sure we get those right and do them every day and the right way so that it’s habit. That gives us a good base going into the summer and going into the season.’’

Payton has worked hard with shooting coach Dave Love – the guru who helped Aaron Gordon make big strides with his shot last season. Payton resisted shooting the ball at times last season, struggled from the free throw line at various points and lacked confidence when it came to 3-point heaves and mid-range jumpers. Love has worked with him to correct some of the mechanical flaws in his shot and tried to get him to stroke the ball with better confidence.

``It’s a lot of form shots and trying to correct little things,’’ said Payton, a 42.5 percent shooter last season. ``We’ve been getting lots of shots up under different scenarios. We’ll see if it translates. … It’s about making (his shot) consistent and that’s a little challenging with the little kinks. But we’ve made a lot of progress and we’ll see.’’

Skiles has also been working out the kinks after being away from the MNA game for two years. But he is a coach who is known for his abilities as a teacher and someone who can relate to players. Already, he’s talked to Gordon about better using his athleticism at different times and ways that Payton can better anticipate plays. He’s encouraged Devyn Marble and 2015 second-round pick Tyler Harvey to shoot more and he’s prodded returning big man Dewayne Dedmon to keep battling on the glass and the low block.

Skiles said this first summer league for him in Orlando carries added importance because he wants to establish a base with several of the players who will be key players on the regular-season squad in the fall.

``(It’s important) because some of our (primary) guys are playing in it,’’ Skiles said, referring to Payton, Gordon, Dedmon and Marble. ``If it was all free agents, it would still be good for me to get in the gym. But it’s a lot better to see guys play who I have seen from afar. Now, I am up close to them and I can get my hands on them and coach them a little bit.

``I want them to start to understand defensively what we’re trying to do and hopefully they are playing unselfishly on the offensive end, which they do naturally,’’ Skiles added. ``Hopefully halfway – after maybe three games – that we look like we’re comprehending what we’re supposed to be doing and we already do – but I’m confident that that’s going to happen. And I’ll feel like we’ve had a good summer league if nobody gets hurt.’’

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