20 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 turnovers, 2 steals, 6-12 FGs, 6-6 FTs, 2-5 3-Pt
O.J. Mayo has been up and down on the spring all-star game circuit, looking phenomenal in the McDonalds practices all week only to lay an egg in the game, but bouncing back with an MVP performance at the Roundball Classic. So it was nice to see a Hoop Summit performance from Mayo that fell in between the two extremes. Mayo didnt do anything in this game to distance himself from the rest of the 2008 challengers, but he did lead Team USA in scoring. There was an occasional rushed shot, but the 4/5 Ast/TO ratio he was credited with in the box score doesnt accurately describe the impact Mayo was able to make with his passing.
While Mayo still doesnt provide the unrelenting lock-down defensive presence that his Hoop Summit backcourt mates do, this is an area that Mayo has clearly made strides in over the past year. He has worked on moving his feet effectively, and has started becoming more physically aggressive as well. This really showed itself in the practices as well, where Mayo was matched up against Derrick Rose much of the time and aggressively contested Rose at every opportunity.
Mayo has always been a phenomenal anticipator, and this really shines through now that he is putting forth adequate effort as a team and half-court defender. Mayo may never be a feared defender, but this was one weak point that needed to be cleared up before his NBA career begins. Looking at the defensive development of players like Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young since Tim Floyd arrived at USC, it is a safe assumption that Mayos year as a Trojan will only help him continue to develop here.
As for the offensive side of the ball, Mayo was his usual dominant self. It was nice to see him take the ball hard to the basket several times early in the game, where he went up strong and drew contact instead of attempting to avoid the defense and come up with a spectacular finish. Mayo got to the foul line six times, and has all the tools necessary to become a volume free throw shooter at the NBA level. He continues to show the ability to create offense just about anywhere, converting on one particularly fancy drive and leaner in the lane and whipping highlight reel passes to open teammates for finishing opportunities on countless occasions.
In terms of shooting, there were several times where Mayo could have pulled the ball back out instead of firing away early in the shot clock, but it was interesting to note that several of these quick shots were taken with Team USA big men headed into the lane and in good position for an offensive rebound. Mayo gets fabulous elevation on his jumper and is capable of pulling up off the dribble at any time when defenders will already be on their heels because of his explosive slashing and passing abilities. When he gets that midrange jumper going, NCAA defenses might as well just give up.
Mayo didnt get much of a chance to showcase his point guard abilities with all of the ball-handlers on Team USA, and he has never really proven his ability to control a game as a floor general in this type of setting. There can be no denying his elite level court vision, however. He sees the floor at a level that cant be taught, and has a special flair for the dramatic pass that is very rarely seen on any level. While his tendency to fire up quick shots has been well-documented by just about everybody, his ability to thread the needle in the blink of an eye often gets overlooked. He is a constant threat to burn a defense, and loves to throw the no-look pass in the lane after a series of dribbles when everybody is expecting a shot to go up. Mayo certainly will dominate the ball at times, but it is hard to see him not emerging as an all-around offensive force in an NBA that is still quite isolation-happy.
2007-2008 Outlook: People putting out pre-preseason All-America teams and not including Mayo just arent thinking clearly. Mayo is an instant 20-5-5 presence, and you can be sure that Tim Floyd will find a way to make the most out of his immensely talented recruit both in terms of Mayos development, and the overall success of his program. There is a lot of uncertainty out there about exactly who will be suiting up for the Trojans in the fall, but the return of Gabe Pruitt or Nick Young to go along with Mayo, Daniel Hackett, Davon Jefferson and Taj Gibson would make USC worthy of a preseason national Top 5 billing and would probably give Floyd the best team of his NCAA coaching career. As far as the draft goes, Mayo isnt on a different level compared to the other 2008 Top 5 hopefuls in the way that Oden and Durant were this year, but his NBA eligibility will still give league bottom feeders plenty of reason to think about tanking come next spring.
While Mayo still doesnt provide the unrelenting lock-down defensive presence that his Hoop Summit backcourt mates do, this is an area that Mayo has clearly made strides in over the past year. He has worked on moving his feet effectively, and has started becoming more physically aggressive as well. This really showed itself in the practices as well, where Mayo was matched up against Derrick Rose much of the time and aggressively contested Rose at every opportunity.
Mayo has always been a phenomenal anticipator, and this really shines through now that he is putting forth adequate effort as a team and half-court defender. Mayo may never be a feared defender, but this was one weak point that needed to be cleared up before his NBA career begins. Looking at the defensive development of players like Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young since Tim Floyd arrived at USC, it is a safe assumption that Mayos year as a Trojan will only help him continue to develop here.
As for the offensive side of the ball, Mayo was his usual dominant self. It was nice to see him take the ball hard to the basket several times early in the game, where he went up strong and drew contact instead of attempting to avoid the defense and come up with a spectacular finish. Mayo got to the foul line six times, and has all the tools necessary to become a volume free throw shooter at the NBA level. He continues to show the ability to create offense just about anywhere, converting on one particularly fancy drive and leaner in the lane and whipping highlight reel passes to open teammates for finishing opportunities on countless occasions.
In terms of shooting, there were several times where Mayo could have pulled the ball back out instead of firing away early in the shot clock, but it was interesting to note that several of these quick shots were taken with Team USA big men headed into the lane and in good position for an offensive rebound. Mayo gets fabulous elevation on his jumper and is capable of pulling up off the dribble at any time when defenders will already be on their heels because of his explosive slashing and passing abilities. When he gets that midrange jumper going, NCAA defenses might as well just give up.
Mayo didnt get much of a chance to showcase his point guard abilities with all of the ball-handlers on Team USA, and he has never really proven his ability to control a game as a floor general in this type of setting. There can be no denying his elite level court vision, however. He sees the floor at a level that cant be taught, and has a special flair for the dramatic pass that is very rarely seen on any level. While his tendency to fire up quick shots has been well-documented by just about everybody, his ability to thread the needle in the blink of an eye often gets overlooked. He is a constant threat to burn a defense, and loves to throw the no-look pass in the lane after a series of dribbles when everybody is expecting a shot to go up. Mayo certainly will dominate the ball at times, but it is hard to see him not emerging as an all-around offensive force in an NBA that is still quite isolation-happy.
2007-2008 Outlook: People putting out pre-preseason All-America teams and not including Mayo just arent thinking clearly. Mayo is an instant 20-5-5 presence, and you can be sure that Tim Floyd will find a way to make the most out of his immensely talented recruit both in terms of Mayos development, and the overall success of his program. There is a lot of uncertainty out there about exactly who will be suiting up for the Trojans in the fall, but the return of Gabe Pruitt or Nick Young to go along with Mayo, Daniel Hackett, Davon Jefferson and Taj Gibson would make USC worthy of a preseason national Top 5 billing and would probably give Floyd the best team of his NCAA coaching career. As far as the draft goes, Mayo isnt on a different level compared to the other 2008 Top 5 hopefuls in the way that Oden and Durant were this year, but his NBA eligibility will still give league bottom feeders plenty of reason to think about tanking come next spring.