Eric Gordon vs OJ Mayo

[Check my Stats]

Thoughts?

[Nitro]

OJ Mayo. At this point he's more well-rounded, more skilled in a variety of areas, has a bit of a size advantage over Gordon and has more potential. I'd really, really like to see Mayo get more aggressive and have a bigger role in the Grizzlies' offense because he really is extremely polished and capable for a 3rd year player. I just think he's passive to a fault and is not utilized as an impact player.

[Newman]

Gordon is a nice player and his performance just a week ago only enhances that opinion, but Mayo is still a special talent, just waiting to break out. Definitely going for Mayo.

[Real Deal]

Gordon is an excellent defender, better than Mayo...but he doesn't have the skillset OJ does on the offensive end of the court. When Mayo lights that match, he's pretty dangerous.

 

In Gordon's biggest scoring game (against OKC, which is one that I watched), he got to the line many, many times. Did a lot of attacking.

 

Mayo's biggest scoring output was 40 (similar to Eric's 41), but he put in just 2-2 from the line, shot lights out that night, 68% with 17 FGs.

 

In fact, in every 30+ point game of his career, Mayo has shot seven or less free throws. In all of Gordon's 30+ point games? He's never shot less than seven, and 12+ free throws in three of them.

 

Hell, Mayo has shot 10 free throws in three games...in his entire two-year career. Never shot more than 10.

 

Why is that significant? Mayo shoots around the same percentage in a two-year career. Once it's instilled in him that he needs to be THE franchise player, THE attacker and THE 20+ PPG scorer he should be, he'll rack up more free throw attempts and light up opponents from anywhere on the court, and when that happens, he'll surely surpass Gordon.

[Multi-Billionaire]

I remember in Mayo's rookie year, people dubbed him as a ball hog. Then, in the summer before his soph year, he sought Chauncey Billups to ask for his guidance on how to be a leader. Billups of course told him that if he wants to become a leader, he has to involve his teammates.

 

Not many young guys who are supposedly destined to be one of the better scorers will seek someone to mentor him to play the right way, to ask him how to be a better leader. His way of thinking is much more mature for a supposedly ball hog. In all Memphis games I saw last season, I saw OJ as the guy who consistently and genuinely tried to look for his teammates on offense... his leadership was contagious as the team became less selfish around him. Without Mayo the guy who's unselfish, the Grizzlies would have been a mess.

 

 

It's remarkable to see his progression. He was selfish in his rookie year to the point people called him a ball hog. Then maybe he realized it was wrong, and asked a mentor to help him play the game the right way. Not many young guys would be interested in playing it the right way. Most of them would probably watch the videos of prime Allen Iverson hoisting 30 shots a game and try to score 30 a game. From "ball hog" to "unselfish" in just his 2nd year.

 

Gordon is good, but I would take Mayo on my team any day. And lol @ Warriors rejecting Ellis for Mayo and Thabeet.

[Real Deal]

Most of them would probably watch the videos of prime Allen Iverson hoisting 30 shots a game and try to score 30 a game. From "ball hog" to "unselfish" in just his 2nd year.

So Iverson was selfish because of his shot attempts?

 

OJ Mayo took 15.6 FGA per game his rookie season, and 14.4 his sophomore year. Just one attempt less.

 

Assists? He threw more, just barely, his rookie year.

 

He attempted almost the same exact amount of threes per game.

 

How did he go from "ballhog" to "unselfish" by doing that?

[Multi-Billionaire]

Because it's normal for young guys to be selfish and think about themselves in their first few years. It is normal for a player to take 6-7 years going through criticisms of being selfish before finally learning how to be more of a team player. It's normal for 1st/ 2nd year players to be "immature" and "self centered"... with the exception of a few, everyone was "immature" at one point in their life in their behavior and way of thinking... before they "mature".

 

Furthermore, for a guy who averaged 18.5 ppg in his rookie year, and viewed by many to develop into one of the better scorers in the NBA, to actually take less shot attempts in his second year by 1.2 shot per game and averaged more assist is remarkable, if not unheard of. He was supposed to take more shots, not the same amount, or less. But he took less. This guy was viewed by many to be a scorer, but the guy chose to be a basketball player who plays the game the right way, a leader, and a scorer last. That's the ultimate sign of maturity.

 

 

There's no way for a second year Kobe Bryant, a second year MJ, a second year Vince Carter, a second year Carmelo, a second year Durant, a second year LeBron, a second year Wade to actually take less shots when they know they're developing as an offensive player.

 

You have to admire Mayo's ability to resist to improve his individual stats for the better of his team. Mayo knew although Gay is older than him, he couldn't have been told to be unselfish in his contract year, he knew he couldn't ask AI/ Randolph to be unselfish (duh), he knew he couldn't ask Gasol to be unselfish because the guy was developing into a force in the middle. He couldn't ask rookies like Thabeet, Young to be unselfish when they're trying to find their place. Someone among them had to step up and say "I'll be the leader, take less shots, and involve everyone"... someone to step up and be a leader. Everyone was predicting a catastrophe in Memphis because they (including me) didn't see a leadership coming out of these guys. You have to praise him... I'm not sure if a second year Kobe, a second year VC, and those guys put in Mayo's position (basically playing alongside ball hogs like AI, Gay, and Randolph) could do what the second year Mayo did. Defer to them, be unselfish for the good of the team. Heck the team's chemistry was so great these ball hogs were throwing alley oops to each other, high fiving, smiling, enjoying each other's company, and winning for the first half of the season. Randolph became an All Star after everyone wrote him off and didn't even want him if they could have got him for free. Think these were all possible without Mayo stepping up to be an unselfish leader among them? No. His maturity is off the charts.

 

At the end of the day, the success of a team comes with leadership... the Grizzlies are fortunate to have a young great leader in Mayo.

Edited September 15, 2010 by Multi-Billionaire

[*Swish*]

I'm going with Mayo. He's a more rounded player. Both of these players could shoot and are equally the same on all the rebounding parts, defensive parts etc. Most of my choice right now is based on who's the better leader and it's obviously Mayo.

[Real Deal]

to actually take less shot attempts in his second year by 1.2 shot per game and averaged more assist is remarkable

He didn't average more assists the second season...he averaged less.

 

And he took less shots because of Zach Randolph, and one less shot isn't significant enough to say, "Oh, wow, he's definitely less selfish this season."

 

He wasn't selfish his rookie season. He produced nearly the same amount of numbers his sophomore year.

 

What happened his rookie season? He was second in FGA, with 15.6. Gay took 16.0 FGA.

 

Sophomore? Two guys (Gay and Randolph) took 16 FGA per game, which would logically drop Mayo's.

 

If he shot 11 times a game and racked up six or seven assists, THEN you could make that argument, because that decline in his numbers is too dramatic to ignore.

[Multi-Billionaire]

Real, pretend you're Mayo, you scored 18.5 ppg in your rookie year and people touted you as the next big thing as an offensive player.

 

I guarantee people in Mayo's position would 100% take more shots in his second season. Guaranteed. It's a no-brainer. I would. I wouldn't care to be a leader, I would say to myself, "I'm just a second year player, I'm still developing. How can I develop if I do not take more shots and sacrifice? I'll think about sacrificing my game in my 10th year not in my 2nd year, when I'm still developing as a player."

 

The fact that Mayo did not take more shots, meaning had he taken the same amount of shots as his rookie year would have been remarkable. But he not only did not take the same amount of shots, he actually took less.

 

Would a second year Kobe, VC, Wade, Melo, LeBron, MJ be told to take the same amount of shots as their rookie years? No way. Try telling them to take less amount of shots.

 

 

What's remarkable about the whole thing is that the sacrifice could result in serious consequences in his game, if we're not already seeing it (only 17.5 ppg and his free throw% went down by 7% in his second year). He's supposed to evolve into a 20+ ppg scorer, but by taking less shots, he put his chance of developing his offensive skills in jeopardy.

 

 

What would happen if a second year Kobe, VC, Wade, Melo, LeBron and MJ had really taken less amount of shots than their rookie years? They probably wouldn't have developed as dangerous scorers as they are/ were.

 

 

Mayo was supposed to take 2-3 more shots per game AT LEAST in his soph year. But he ended up taking 1 less shot a game. That's HUGE. The relatives and circles that are constantly in his ears reminding him he's still on a rookie contract, and it's best for him to take care of himself first by developing into a superstar with undeniable offensive skills and landing that max contract. By sacrificing his game, he is jeopardizing his chance to truly develop as that guy... you can't just "turn on the switch". The skills have to develop naturally. But what's good is his sacrifice was directed toward the good of the team.

 

You don't see many veterans sacrificing their game for the good of their team (heck, Allen Iverson in his 14th year was still worried about sacrificing his game - which is a reason why not one team is interested in him -)... but to see the sacrifice come from a 2nd year player, he's inspiring to his teammates to say the least.

Edited September 15, 2010 by Multi-Billionaire

[Nitro]

Would a second year Kobe, VC, Wade, Melo, LeBron, MJ be told to take the same amount of shots as their rookie years? No way. Try telling them to take less amount of shots.

 

1) Melo DID take less FGA per game his 2nd year than he did his first season. Jordan technically did as well, but the sample size is way too small and he was averaging less minutes after coming back from injury (nearly missing the entire season).

 

2) Mayo is not on the same level as those guys. He's not looked at as a franchise player for Memphis, so he's not going to get the same leash to jack up 20+ shots per game, especially since they added major scoring pieces inbetween his rookie and sophomore seasons.