Photo. LandESPN’s Chad Ford writes today what pretty much everyone has known for a while - after years of hype touting him as a future No. 1 pick (us included), O.J. Mayo most certainly will never be taken first in an NBA Draft. From Chad today:
USC guard O.J. Mayo was ranked No. 1 on our Big Board in July. Some of that had to do with hype, but most of it had to do with Mayo’s game. He already had the body and athleticism of an NBA player. He was an excellent scorer and scouts said they thought he would be a full-time point guard in the pros.
Mayo has proved he has the ability to score at USC. But the point guard thing hasn’t materialized. He’s looked fairly one-dimensional this season — his assist and rebound totals are underwhelming. Some of that isn’t Mayo’s fault as he’s asked to play off the ball and carry the team on offense. But scouts looking for something more than a shoot-first 2-guard have been disappointed. Some are calling Mayo the next Jerry Stackhouse — a guy who never met a shot he didn’t like or a defensive set he did like.
Scouts are being too critical in my mind. The backlash against Mayo has been too severe given his numbers. As a freshman, he’s averaging more than 20 points per game in one of the toughest conferences in college basketball and shooting a respectable percentage from the field. His assist-to-turnover ratio isn’t pretty & but he’s been asked to do a lot.
The fact that he played Derrick Rose to a draw and outplayed Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless stands out. But the truth is that if scouts are skeptical, then he’s got to prove himself during workouts.
Right now he’s ranked No. 9 on our draft board. But I think teams like the Knicks and Clippers will take a long look at him earlier in the draft.
Don’t feel bad for O.J. though; he’ll do just fine. Currently, NBADraft.net has him slated to go tenth in this summer’s draft.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Kobeef says:
OJ is good at most things but not great at anything which hurts his pro-prospects.
He shoots a lot but also misses a lot…and if he is missing those shots in college they won’t get easier in the NBA. That would not be so bad if he was a playmaker but he is not great at that either. He is not big, not fast and not much of a jumper.
I’d say if he gets his ‘ish together he could be the next Jamal Crawford. Worst case scenario is the next Dajuan Wagner.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Michel says:
Oj has goe from way overhyped to very underated. First off he’s actually played pretty damn good defense this year, and he’s show he can get any shot he wants.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
doc says:
He look nice to me
March 4th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
snoop_robb says:
i dunno, mayo is def. gonna go before 10 in the draft, but there is no way he goes before Rose.
Derrick Rose has shown he is a better player over the season. How about the Aussies Nathan Jawai & Pat Mills?? i think Patty will def. go in the first round, and Jawai has been awesome in the NBL.
People don’t know yet but Jawai has mad low post game, he has played a whole pro season since his injury in college and i can see him minumum as a rotation player. Top 10 on any team in the NBA fo sho.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
bobby stew says:
He certainly has not lived up to the hype given to him like Rose, Gordon, Love, and Beastley have. But he could be like Dajuan Wagner had Wagner never gotten hurt/sick. I don’t hink he’ll put up big numbers like Stack. He will be a good NBA player, just not great. At best he could be like Caron Butler.
March 4th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Celts Fan says:
Here’s the problem w/ OJ Mayo, the guys he reminds people of are Steph and Stack. One of the first highlights I saw of him was in his state title game, he dunked on a dude in the state title game, caught the ball and chucked it into the stands. It was the 2nd quarter. I thought it was hilarious, but that won’t impress the scouts…
March 4th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Celts Fan says:
*having said all that, if he can keep his attitude/gunning in check, someone’s gonna get a good player lower than they should (he’s absolutely not cracking the top 5 if everyone comes out this year. somewhere in the 8-10 range sounds about right.)
March 4th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
dagwaller says:
Kobeef, isn’t the point of the article saying that he DOES do ONE THING great, and nothing else very well?
Good thing for the NBA that they instituted that rule where you can’t come to the league right after you graduate.
March 4th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
This NBAdraft.net mock has some questioanble picks. I realize its very early and that we don’t even know if some of these guys will declare or the draft oder but Thabeet to the Suns? Collison of UCLA to the Nets? Come on would be terrible options at this time for those teams.
March 4th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
GEE... Cold on em! says:
Stay in school pympin …please stay in school.
March 4th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
Sorry I said draft oder instead of order buy it makes sense because this draft class stinks outside of the top ten.
March 4th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Celts Fan says:
people say that all the time Spliff. I don’t ever buy it. Good teams can find good players later in drafts. Not superstars, but quality pros at least.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
myrie says:
Mayo hasn’t shown much of anything as a frosh. He can score, but so can about 2000 other D1 ballers.
The hype needs to simmer down, or OJ needs to sizzle up; in all aspects of the game. Are the USC Trojans even ranked?
March 4th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
duece says:
nope
March 4th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
dagwaller says:
Spliff, I’ve been going to nbadraft.net for a few years, if only for the history standpoint, but I’ve always wondered about their mock drafts. I’ve never attempted to contact them, but it seems to me that they just base their rankings on overall skill/potential, not on who needs them. I think it’d be less confusing if they just pulled the team’s name from next to the players’.
March 4th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
hotdog says:
seriously whats wrong with being the next jerry stackhouse? accomplished scorer, clutch shooter, has been in the league for a very long time, made his money, etc etc.
but i think it would benefit his career if he stays one more year. work on his pg skills.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Celts Fan says:
dagwaller, at this point, that’s exactly what NBADraft.net does (I’d assume) since the draft positions are still up in the air. Once the draft gets closer and the lottery’s done, then they start going with real mock drafts as opposed to just lists of who’s the most talented/has the most potential.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:04 am
juice says:
OJ is just a victim of his own justly deserved hype. I’ve had the opportunity to watch him in person in high school and catch a few USC games this year. Is he going to live up to that hype from years ago as “The Next Lebron”? Of course not. He doesn’t have the physical stature. Lebron is like a 6′8 Bo Jackson. All that being said, teams that pass on OJ are going to regret that decision. Sometimes scouts try to overthink situations…when a player has been on the scene as long as Mayo there have been no shortage of opportunities to nitpick his game. What I’ve seen is 1. OJ can get his own shot off the bounce at will, 2. OJ can play off the ball (a la Rip) and 3. OJ can be a lockdown defender when he chooses. Ask UA’s Bayless about Mayo’s game after he handed Bayless his lunch last week.
OJ is on a weak team. He is asked to carry the scoring load for a team that struggles to score. He made his own situation and he ain’t griping. Had OJ took the road more traveled and gone to one of the traditional powerhouse programs, we’d still be bombarded with his hype.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:29 am
junior says:
If he goes tenth itll be coplete bs..you cant tell me there are 9 guys better than him this year
March 6th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
jaceofspades says:
i think he’ll be fine. hes an amazing player. i just think becuz of the success of someone like lebron james comin from high school, the hype came even harder. and with oj mayo dubbed the next best thing after lebron james, you can’t help but to underwhelm in that place. the microscope hes under is just a little bigger because of that so he gets criticized for everything he does. i think hes in the top 5 players in college and if he drops, i say good. that way sixers can make a trade and get him. gooooo sixers.