First Round Pick No.3 – OJ Mayo
First Round Pick No.27 – Darrell Arthur
Okay again this causes me some initial problems because of the huge draft day trade but I’m going to ignore it for this page and concentrate just on what they’ve added.
OJ Mayo is a good prospect but overrated. First off he’s older than Andrew Bynum at 21 years of age. Secondly he’s undersized at the two at 6-4 with a 6-6 wingspan. He’s got good quickness but not incredible quickness. He’s a very good leaper. All said, athletically he can definitely compete and compete well but it doesn’t give him much separation from the pack. Thirdly, his game is fairly flawed.
Mayo is a combo guard so he can play either the one or the two. He played off the ball in college so he didn’t show much point guard skill. There are many strong doubts about how well he could play the point in the pros and it’s likely he wouldn’t be able to play the point without having a top playmaking wing beside him. The problems I have with him besides that is that he struggled to score against top defenses in college and it’s because he’s too reliant on his perimeter jump shot. 6.5 of his 16 shots a game come from three point range which is a huge number. He needs to mix up his scoring and concentrate on getting to the rim more often and getting to the line more often (only 4 free throws a game for an athlete of his caliber). Clearly there’s a problem with shot selection there. He also had difficulties beating his man off the dribble which isn’t good enough. Another problem offensively is despite his point skills he averages more turnovers (3.5tpg) than assists (3.3apg).
On the more positive side and these strengths play a big role in making him a good prospect. He’s a great kid who works his socks off trying to improve. Tim Floyd continuously praises how coachable the young man is. He does show a very good understanding of the game at times especially with his movement off the ball offensively. But most importantly … he plays very good defense and that should translate well.
OJ Mayo will play the two guard in Memphis next to Mike Conley with Crittenton and Lowry likely backing the two up. OJ and Conley should be a fine combination for several years.
It’s worth pointing out that I believe Kevin Love to be both the superior prospect and the superior fit.
Darrell Arthur was a great pickup late in the first round. Memphis held the pick after him, drafted Greene and traded his rights to Houston who had picked up Arthur from another trade, and picked up the guy they wanted. Arthur was an overrated prospect entering this draft (low lottery pick expected) but he’s a steal at this low. With the Grizzlies desperate for some interior play and desperate for a power forward …. Darrell Arthur is a great fit.
Arthur played on a loaded Kansas and like Brandon Rush he didn’t want to be a star. He had the opportunity and didn’t want it. On the positive side, like Rush, he’s a very good all round player. Arthur has some good post moves (his post play was huge in the NCAA Final), he’s got great hands and he has a developing face up jump shot. He’s a good rebounder pulling down 6 boards in 24 minutes and plays quality all round defense. Arthur has good athleticism but isn’t a standout at power forward.
Arthur should be a solid pro in the NBA but no star
Conclusion: Two nice pickups for the Grizzlies. OJ Mayo is a good prospect with some decent (but not great) star potential. Arthur will fill a hole and be good for awhile.
