How does Courtney Lee compare to OJ Mayo?

djthesonicsfan · Post #1 » by **djthesonicsfan** » Sun May 4, 2008 6:16 am

Seriously, looking for knowlegable input here. Especially from those who have seen Courtney Lee play at least a few times.

How do they rate based on size, athleticism, scoring capability, mid range shooting, three point shooting, free throw shooting, perimeter defense, leadership, bball IQ, passing, creativity, ballhandling, upside & intangibles.

Thanks.

bigballa3jj · Post #2 » by **bigballa3jj** » Sun May 4, 2008 12:59 pm

they're about the same height, with mayo having more of an nba body.

lee gets his points off slashing and shooting, while mayo is mostly a jumper shooter (a very good one though)

lee seems to be a little longer than mayo, however i like mayo's better as he hustles and works on D more, though he does tend to gamble a bit too much.

their free throw shooting %s are both very good, with lee's being slightly higher.

mayo's bball IQ is outstanding and can create for others, although he sometimes settles for jumpers too much. lee has a scoring mentality and a scoring mentality

mayo's passing/court vision is top notch, especially for a 2 guard, and can occasionally run the point. lee is strictly a 2 guard

mayo's ball handlung could use a little work, especially if he's going to a team where he runs the point from time to time. Lee's isn't terrible, but doesn't really create shots for his teammates.

Mayo's upside is immense and can play either guard spot, and as long as he keeps his head straight he could be a 25/5/5 guy in the future

Lee is a very good scorer, and will be very beneficial starting out as a scorer off the bench and eventually a starting 2 for someone.

GSW2K4 · Post #3 » by **GSW2K4** » Sun May 4, 2008 4:21 pm

Just curious: why are you interested in comparing these two players?

I think BigBalla covered most of the major points pretty well...

But I think a big factor that has to be considered between these two players at this point in their careers is maturity.

Mayo has unlimited talent and bball IQ...and an ego to match. As a result, he thinks (or at least came into college thinking) he could do more than he's really capable of. You have to think he was humbled this year, especially after coming in with such fan fare. So given the right coach, this may not be a problem at the next level.

Lee on the other hand impressed me because he knew how to pick his spots. As stated previously, he doesn't have the same point guard responsibility as Mayo, so it's hard to really compare. But I think what some people interpret as "a lack of aggressiveness" is really the ability to play within his own skillset and the team concept. That's what I really think will make him a great NBA player -- he doesn't appear to need to have the spotlight to play well or have an impact on the game and that makes him perfect as a late round selection (likely a playoff team).

Also, Lee plays "stronger", never seemed afraid of contact...but that could be as much a function of age as physical attribute.

OrangeBull · Post #4 » by **OrangeBull** » Sun May 4, 2008 5:15 pm

Lee reminds me of a SG version of Morris Almond, granted Morris was one of the best shooters I've ever seen, but the creativity and cerebral awareness on offense is the same in Lee. Both aren't as athletic as you would like them to be, nor are they good defenders but that heady scoring ability makes them intriguing prospects because they know how to compensate for their deficiencies.

djthesonicsfan · Post #5 » by **djthesonicsfan** » Sun May 4, 2008 5:48 pm

I'm not thinking OJ Mayo will be a PG. I'm thinking he'll be a SG. I can see us picking him as best player avialable depending on how the lottery goes 20 May. I can also see Pajamas (that's our (Please Use More Appropriate Word) monkey coach for those of you not completely familiar with the disaster eminating from the Sonics' ownership situation) trying to make him into a PG.

The Sonics have the #24 pick. I really like Courtney Lee with that pick. I think he competes/replaces D Wilkins as the 8th guy in the rotation this season & competes for the starting SG spot in 2009 when K Durant & J Green slide up to SF & PF, respectively.

So the question is what would be better...

(a) picking J Bayless instead of OJ Mayo & getting C Lee at #24
Starters - J Bayless, K Durant, J Green, C Wilcox, N Collison
Rotation - E Watson, J Petro, C Lee, R Hendrix

(b) picking OJ Mayo & yet another questionable center maybe to add to our collection at #24
Starters - E Watson, OJ Mayo, K Durant, J Green, N Collison
Rotation - L Ridnour, C Wilcox, D Wilkins, the other Lopez?

I like option (a) tons better. I just don't see how option (b) works without a forced trade of C Wilcox for a center or point guard. Especially considering it will be C Wilcox's contract year.

At #24 Brandon Rush looks good too as an alternate to Courtney Lee.

Just thinking various scenarios through. As always, welcome any thoughts. Thanks.

bigballa3jj · Post #6 » by **bigballa3jj** » Sun May 4, 2008 6:07 pm

pray you get the #1-2 and get Rose

GSW2K4 · Post #7 » by **GSW2K4** » Sun May 4, 2008 6:23 pm

bigballa3jj wrote:pray you get the #1-2 and get Rose

Agreed there.

And you're right DJ -- the Sonics should actually be banned from ever drafting a center again.

And you're also right that if Rush is around at 24, the Sonics should grab him. I think Rush will be a bargain for any team if he goes that low and the Sonics need that scoring.

Because of his lack of immaturity, OJ Mayo is not really a good fit for the Sonics in my mind. Durant is the man on the Sonics. I could see Mayo having a problem playing second fiddle to a guy younger than him. Plus, I could be totally off base here, but I don't like the idea of PJ-OJ combo AT ALL. That's a disaster waiting to happen to me.

What the Sonics need is a true point guard to direct the offense (read: set up Durant), slash to the basket, and knock down open jumpers when available. Bayless fits that mold to a T. Mayo may ultimately turn into the better NBA player, but not by much, and I think the Sonics have to take the goodness of fit with Durant and Green into account.

djthesonicsfan · Post #8 » by **djthesonicsfan** » Sun May 4, 2008 6:49 pm

bigballa3jj wrote:pray you get the #1-2 and get Rose

For sure. All this becomes simple then. The problem is I don't know if M Beasley is the #1 pick. I think the Grizzlies pick him #1. Not so sure about the Heat or the Wolves. I think the Knicks pick D Rose. No idea about the Clippers until they resolve the C Maggette & E Brand, in particular, situations.

GSW2K4 wrote:And you're also right that if Rush is around at 24, the Sonics should grab him. I think Rush will be a bargain for any team if he goes that low and the Sonics need that scoring.

I go back and forth on Brandon Rush. My concern is that he appears to coast at times. But ya, I could definately see him fitting in well with K Durant & J Green.

GSW2K4 wrote:Because of his lack of immaturity, OJ Mayo is not really a good fit for the Sonics in my mind. Durant is the man on the Sonics. I could see Mayo having a problem playing second fiddle to a guy younger than him. Plus, I could be totally off base here, but I don't like the idea of PJ-OJ combo AT ALL. That's a disaster waiting to happen to me.

Ya, there's been too much smoke around OJ Mayo for there not to be a fire on the character issues. Pajamas is not the guy to handle that. There would be another throat grabbing incident for sure.

GSW2K4 wrote:What the Sonics need is a true point guard to direct the offense (read: set up Durant), slash to the basket, and knock down open jumpers when available. Bayless fits that mold to a T. Mayo may ultimately turn into the better NBA player, but not by much, and I think the Sonics have to take the goodness of fit with Durant and Green into account.

Add "defend" to your job description & I agree 100%. So ya, it's J Bayless > OJ Mayo. But if M Beasley is available I think the Sonics have to take him. And then it's either living with E Watson or finding an upgrade using C Wilcox & picks as barter assets.

GSW2K4 · Post #9 » by **GSW2K4** » Mon May 5, 2008 3:41 am

djthesonicsfan wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

But if M Beasley is available I think the Sonics have to take him. And then it's either living with E Watson or finding an upgrade using C Wilcox & picks as barter assets.

I feel sometimes like I might be in the minority opinion on this, but if I'm the Sonics, I absolutely take Rose over Beasley.

It's not that I dislike Beasley, but Rose is going to be something very special. He is not only gifted, but has almost all the intangibles one would want from a PG. Building a team with Rose, Durant, and Green (+ Wilcox - I think he's a more valuable asset than people give him credit for) could be great.

I don't know that Beasley + Durant really works well...and Durant is clearly the future of the franchise.

riehldeal · Post #10 » by **riehldeal** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:24 am

I have long said that Courtney is "Mayo-lite" ....very similar in almost all areas of the game but just to a slightly less impressive degree.....although, I feel that where Lee separates from Mayo is in the area of creating shot separation.....when it's all said and done, I feel Courtney will be a huge steal at where he is currently being projected (I have him much higher....18-20) and will be a great spark plug off the bench for whatever team he goes to and could always be a guy challenging for a starting position (more likely on a struggling/rebuilding team)

djthesonicsfan · Post #11 » by **djthesonicsfan** » Mon May 5, 2008 2:40 pm

GSW2K4 wrote:I feel sometimes like I might be in the minority opinion on this, but if I'm the Sonics, I absolutely take Rose over Beasley.

You're not. The consensus is D Rose over M Beasley.

I meant that we'd have to take M Beasley if D Rose was already gone. Which very well could be the case.

djthesonicsfan · Post #12 » by **djthesonicsfan** » Mon May 5, 2008 2:41 pm

riehldeal wrote:I have long said that Courtney is "Mayo-lite" ....very similar in almost all areas of the game but just to a slightly less impressive degree.....although, I feel that where Lee separates from Mayo is in the area of creating shot separation.....when it's all said and done, I feel Courtney will be a huge steal at where he is currently being projected (I have him much higher....18-20) and will be a great spark plug off the bench for whatever team he goes to and could always be a guy challenging for a starting position (more likely on a struggling/rebuilding team)

This is my opinion too. Adding that Courtney Lee, from a personality point of view, may actually be a better fit with K Durant, J Green & hopefully D Rose.

riehldeal · Post #13 » by **riehldeal** » Mon May 5, 2008 2:50 pm

djthesonicsfan wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

This is my opinion too. Adding that Courtney Lee, from a personality point of view, may actually be a better fit with K Durant, J Green & hopefully D Rose.

If I were you I would not be concerned about Mayo in any way.....behind Rose, OJ is the next best fit for you guys.....all personality and off the court issues/concerns with OJ are over blown

DanTown8587 · Post #14 » by **DanTown8587** » Wed May 7, 2008 5:25 am

I liken OJ to having the potential to be a top player in this league and can take over a game. I see Lee as being a great sixth man someday/average starter who can take over parts of a game for a couple of possessions.

And to Sonic fans: pray for the #2 or #3 and make the obvious choice with either one (note: Mayo is obvious at #3)