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Memphis has been a bit of a surprise already, standing at 2-3 with a fightin' defense and the novel idea to let three rookies start from the get-go. (The starting lineup averages 21.6 years old. Talk about a youth movement.) But as you'd expect, most eyes have been laser-focused on two Grizzles: superstar candidate Rudy Gay and R.O.Y. nominee O.J. Mayo. The early results on those two fellows have been mixed.For his part, Gay hasn't offered the flavor of all-around brilliance he's given us in the past. His scoring remains dynamic, with an uptick in free throw attempts making up for lousy early shooting percentages (which will improve). Overall, Gay's mix of threes and attacks has remained rather level. But there's a belief Gay shot the threeball too much last season, considering his inconsistency out there and his dynamic athleticism. Gay hasn't changed his philosophy, and that's resulted in a ton of bricks early on.
Mayo, a blank slate, has taken Gay's propensity for the three to new levels. Nearly a third of Mayo's shots come from behind the arc -- Wednesday at Sacramento, Mayo took 10 of his 19 FGAs from long-range. Is that too many?
Well, Mayo is above 40% through five games. He was a solid deep shooter in college. But wasn't Mayo an attacking guard, a potential future shooting point? You figured he'd be more Gilbert Arenas than Joe Johnson, willing to attack the rim relentlessly. But Mayo has drawn only nine FTAs through five games as Memphis' No. 2 weapon? That's not enough, given his potential. Memphis didn't trade for O.J. to gain the services of a spot shooter.
Still, Mayo has been able to create on his own, and he has a terrific trigger. You could do a lot worse than The Next J.J., you know? It just seems like this team, with one of the most electric and athletic rosters in the league, should spend more time forcing conflict than relying on artillery. Memphis would be much better on offense if Gay and Mayo stopped settling for so many threes.
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