5 Players the Memphis Grizzlies held onto for too long
By Tyler Watts
1. O.J. Mayo
The Grizzlies traded up in the 2008 NBA Draft to select Mayo third overall. The 6’5 wing out of USC had a game that screamed superstar, but he struggled with off-the-court issues dating back to high school. Mayo started every game as a rookie as he averaged 18.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 38.0 minutes, but that would be his best season in the league.
His scoring dipped slightly in year two, but the Grizzlies won 16 more games. They missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year, despite the improvement. Memphis was building something. They moved him to the bench in year three. His minutes and production dipped, but the Grizzlies reached the second round of the playoffs. Mayo kept coming off the bench in year four as he struggled with his efficiency before departing in free agency the following summer.
O.J. Mayo never became a superstar for Memphis Grizzlies.
He played just four more years in the league as a suspension wiped out his career before his 30th birthday. The Memphis Grizzlies traded up to get him and passed on Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, and Brook Lopez in the process.
Memphis believed they were adding a star, and they could have traded him for a significant haul after his rookie season. Instead, they held on and lost him for nothing after four years.
The Memphis Grizzlies need to maximize the value of the talent on their current roster if they want to contend for a championship, so stay tuned to find out if they can do it.
