The NBA Draft is June 26. Between now and then The Reach Blog is going to try and get you up to speed with the players who will be drafted. Josh Nguyen is a guest analyst and his views will either make you laugh, cry, or yawn (hopefully none of the three). Today's prospect is USC Freshman OJ Mayo. O.J. Mayo, SG, 6’5 200 lbs
20.7 ppg, 3.3 apg, 4.5 rrb, 1.5 spg
Projected 3rd thru 7th Pick
If your team is lucky enough to get the first or second pick in the NBA Draft don’t be upset because O.J. is a great consolation prize. Well he isn’t Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose but his potential to be an NBA all-star is just as good.
The more I watch his game along clips from his freshman year at USC and his high school tapes he reminds me of Gilbert Arenas. Like Agent Zero, Mayo is willing to pull the trigger from anywhere on the court but that also leads to shooting his team out of games. You’ll love that fact that he can take over a game at any moment buts it more of a “let me score and no one else” type of performance. He doesn’t really make his teammates better by passing but he will by drawing double teams and breaking down zones defenses by driving to the lane. To give Mayo some credit he wasn’t really working with much at USC. One last thing on Mayo’s game he can be a shut-down defender when he wants to.
The off-the-court questions have plagued him during his quest to the NBA since 9th grade when he popped on the scene. Especially with the recent allegations of him accepting over 30 grand in money from an agent. Not to worry, you’ve got to understand that these allegations are coming from a convicted cocaine dealer and as much as we trust the people who supply drugs he may not be the most creditable person. So if these are false, O.J. has been at one of the most distracting college campuses in the nation and has come out with a better reputation then he entered with. We all have dreams of getting the 1st or 2nd pick but if it doesn’t happen don’t be sad. Be happy, because you can get a guy who can be a 20 point per night scorer in the league. The question I leave you with is, would you like to have Gilbert Arenas on your favorite team?
20.7 ppg, 3.3 apg, 4.5 rrb, 1.5 spg
Projected 3rd thru 7th Pick
If your team is lucky enough to get the first or second pick in the NBA Draft don’t be upset because O.J. is a great consolation prize. Well he isn’t Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose but his potential to be an NBA all-star is just as good.
The more I watch his game along clips from his freshman year at USC and his high school tapes he reminds me of Gilbert Arenas. Like Agent Zero, Mayo is willing to pull the trigger from anywhere on the court but that also leads to shooting his team out of games. You’ll love that fact that he can take over a game at any moment buts it more of a “let me score and no one else” type of performance. He doesn’t really make his teammates better by passing but he will by drawing double teams and breaking down zones defenses by driving to the lane. To give Mayo some credit he wasn’t really working with much at USC. One last thing on Mayo’s game he can be a shut-down defender when he wants to.
The off-the-court questions have plagued him during his quest to the NBA since 9th grade when he popped on the scene. Especially with the recent allegations of him accepting over 30 grand in money from an agent. Not to worry, you’ve got to understand that these allegations are coming from a convicted cocaine dealer and as much as we trust the people who supply drugs he may not be the most creditable person. So if these are false, O.J. has been at one of the most distracting college campuses in the nation and has come out with a better reputation then he entered with. We all have dreams of getting the 1st or 2nd pick but if it doesn’t happen don’t be sad. Be happy, because you can get a guy who can be a 20 point per night scorer in the league. The question I leave you with is, would you like to have Gilbert Arenas on your favorite team?
NBA Comparison: Gilbert Arenas
