Grizzlies’ Mayo picks up pointers
O.J. Mayo is by no means locked into playing point guard next season.
But as the Memphis Grizzlies third-year shooting guard experiments at the point in the NBA Summer League, he has benefited from the advice of a floor general who has been through countless battles.
Damon Stoudamire is now an assistant coach with Memphis, and the 13-year NBA veteran point guard is dishing out knowledge to the 22-year-old Mayo.
”He has to slow down and see everything,” Stoudamire said. ”As a point guard, you’ve got to see things before they happen. You have to be able to communicate with your players, to convey to them everything that you want to dictate out there on the floor.
”Those are the things he needs to grasp, and that is not easy.”
So far, the experiment is off to a rocky start.
Mayo has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 6-to-15 in two games, both Memphis victories. Scoring hasn’t been a problem, as Mayo put up 20 points Monday against Atlanta and 11 Tuesday against Milwaukee.
”It’s all about situational basketball down the stretch,” Mayo said of possibly playing some at the point. ”Whenever you’ve got a guy like Stephen Jackson or Joe Johnson posting up down the stretch and getting what they want to, I can slide to the ‘one’ and still be a threat.”
Mayo has averaged 18 points and 3.1 assists in two NBA seasons out of Southern California. He hasn’t missed a start and helped engineer a 16-win improvement last season.
Fourth-year player Mike Conley started 80 games at point guard last season. But if Mayo can expand his ability to play the position, he would make the rising Grizzlies more dangerous.
”It’s more than an experiment,” said Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, a 1971 graduate of Rancho High School. ”It’s trying to give a guy an opportunity to expand his game. This is a process of trying to help our team get better.”
Mayo said having Stoudamire on the bench has aided the process of learning the position.
”It’s great because he’s always in my ear and trying to help me and put me in a position to be successful,” Mayo said. ”This is the first time (playing point). Of course there are going to be growing pains, but I’m playing hard and working on making others around me better.”
Mayo was originally slated to appear only in Memphis’ first two games at the Summer League, but now he isn’t so sure. He is scheduled to be part of the USA Basketball Showcase on July 24 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
”We’ll sit down and talk to Coach and the owner and see what’s going on,” Mayo said.
Stoudamire, the 1995-96 NBA Rookie of the Year, said Mayo’s volunteering to play in the Summer League should not go overlooked. Generally, the event showcases rookies, young players in need of development and journeymen trying to get noticed.
”You’ve got to give him a lot of credit for even coming and playing in the Summer League,” Stoudamire said. ”He doesn’t have to be here.”
Mayo said he would rather work on his skill set as a point guard in more of an official setting than at pickup games or open gyms.
”I guess some guys have a pride thing where I don’t know if they think they’re too good to play against the Summer League guys or don’t want to get hurt,” Mayo said. ”But I’m the type of guy who plays year-round.”
Contact sports reporter Tristan Aird at taird@reviewjournal.com or at 702-387-5203.
