Eric Gordon vs. OJ Mayo

With the NBA playoffs approaching and the College Basketball season nearing its climax, as an Indiana Pacers fan I find myself in unfamiliar territory.  Usually at this time I'm getting pumped for the year the Pacers are finally going to finish the job and win the title.  Instead, my Pacers are 23-36 with not a lot of hope for the future so my focus turns to the draft.

Before this College Basketball season started, the consensus would be that OJ Mayo was going to be the first shooting guard taken.  As the season has gone on, Eric Gordon has continued to rise on draft boards while OJ Mayo has declined to late lottery territory. 

Both of these freshman are leading their teams in scoring, and the similarities in their numbers cannot be ignored. 

Eric Gordon is putting up 21.4 points on 45% shooting with 38 percent from beyond the arc.  He's grabbing 3.3 rebounds per contest and dishing out 2.5 assists.

Mayo is scoring 20.1 a game, with a 44% field goal percentage and 39% from the three-point line.  Mayo is at 4.4 rebounds and an even three assists per game. 

Don't try and figure out which has the better NBA body either, because they both measure up to 6'4" and weigh in within 10 pounds of each other with Mayo at 210 and Gordon at 220.

It is impossible to look at their stat sheets and give a clear-cut answer to which player will be the better pro so I'll break it down in to a few important categories to try and figure out which one will make a better pro. 

Defense

Most guys in the position of these two get picked because of their offensive games with the idea of trying to mold them in to good defenders over time.  This is not the case with these guys.  Both are freakishly athletic and use their brains well defending on ball.  Both have the ability to play the passing lanes, but neither has shown a trend of going for steals too often.  Neither one saves their legs for offense as most young players as gifted as they are offensively do. 

This one extremely close, but Eric Gordon has more relevant NBA experience because at Indiana he has had a chance to play a lot more man to man then OJ has because USC plays more of a gimmicky defense.  This may be somewhat canceled out because OJ has had to guard more talented perimeter scorers playing in the Pac-10, but I have been slightly more impressed with Gordon's lateral quickness. Edge: Gordon.

Outside Shooting

Both of these guys can fall in love with the three-point shot a little bit too often, but with the close three-point line in College Hoops, I can't really blame them.  Both of these guys utilize the midrange jumper well and it will translate to their NBA careers nicely if they don't get enamored with becoming outside shooters in the NBA. 

Eric Gordon takes a lot of shots from way beyond the arc in college which makes me question his shot selection a little bit and I think with the physical nature of the NBA around the rim Gordon is more likely then Mayo to be a guy that falls in love with the three at the next level.  Mayo is a smooth high IQ basketball player that just continues to improve his shot and has better overall mechanics then Gordon does.  Edge: OJ. 

Attacking the Rim

Eric Gordon is excellent at getting to the rack, finishes well and gets to the line often.  He shoots free throws very well, and has actually taken almost double the amount of free throws Mayo has attempted this year.  While that might make you think that Gordon is the tougher player, I think its more about the roles they have been given.  Gordon gets in the lane, throws his body around and tries to get to the line while Mayo has acted as more of a facilitator when dribble driving.  Mayo is more crafty with the ball and gets easier baskets then Gordon, but the NBA is a league of getting to the charity stripe and Gordon will do that more effectively then Mayo.  Edge: Gordon.

Ballhandling/Passing

I'm combining these two categories because both of these guys fit in to the "tweener" category in the sense that both are a little bit undersized to play the shooting guard position in the NBA. 

Mayo played a ton of point guard in High School, but most of those responsibilities to go Daniel Hackett for the Trojans.  Even though Mayo hasn't had those responsibilities at the College level, he has still shown enough to distance himself from Gordon quite easily in this category.  OJ has the skills to play the Point Guard a little bit in the NBA if he is teamed up with another good ball handler in the backcourt.  Eric Gordon is a prototypical two-guard and will never be confused for a point guard.  For the first time in any category, OJ distances himself from Gordon in something.  Edge: Mayo.

Intangibles

OJ Mayo has had an NBA swagger since his Sophomore year of High School which has been both a positive and a cause for concern about his NBA career.  Many NBA scouts are worried that OJ has too much of an ego to be able to be just one of the fish when he reaches the highest level in the world.  Gordon is a guy that by all accounts is a humble kid that considers himself a student of the game.  

At this point it is just a matter of preference.  OJ does most of the talking in USC's huddles.  He helps Tim Floyd with scouting of other teams and has actually helped Floyed expand some of USC's playbook this season.  Gordon understands that Indiana is DJ White's team and is a quiet guy.  They contrast each other in a lot of ways, and it all depends on what type of a person you want for your team.  Edge: Even.

So with both of these guys winning two categories, you can see how close the two of them really are.  I think it is all about the situation your team is in when it comes to which one should be taken higher.  Minnesota, Seattle, Philadelphia and the LA Clippers would all be good homes for OJ Mayo, while I think Charlotte, New York, Sacramento and Memphis would be better fits for Eric Gordon.