Milwaukee Bucks Face Decisions On Players Bound For Free Agency

O.J. Mayo

2015-16 Key Stats: 7.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.9 apg
2015-16 Cap Hit: $8 million

After signing with the Bucks in the summer of 2013, O.J. Mayo has seen his role with the team change dramatically, from being a major piece of a terrible 2013-2014 squad that went 15-67, to last season being tasked with mentoring and leading young guns such as Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker.

As one of the oldest players on the team at just 28 years old, part of these new-found leadership duties involved giving up possessions and shots to those younger core players, as evidenced in his numbers.

Mayo did deal with injury problems throughout the year, as hamstring issues sidelined him for 41 games, and also dealt with frequent lineup changes; he saw himself coming off the bench as a shooting guard and starting in the backcourt at both guard positions. In playing more of a complementary role, O.J.’s usage dropped from 23.6 percent in 2014-2015 to just 17 percent last season, by far his career low.

Whether it was the injury troubles or the change in roles, Mayo struggled on the offensive end last season. While obviously his scoring output was down, O.J. also posted a below-average PER of 7.7, a steep downturn from his previous career low of 12.6. For a shooter who took over half of his field goal attempts from behind the arc, a 32 percent three-point percentage simply won’t cut it either.

Mayo’s overall FG percent of just over 37 percent is also not worthy of either the money nor the role given to him. On the defensive end, Mayo performed slightly better, using his veteran knowledge and IQ to post a positive Defensive Win Shares (DWS) rating, as well as finishing third on the team in terms of steal rate.

It’s unclear what Mayo’s role with the team will be next season, but it seems safe to assume that the Bucks will not need as much of the Juice Man on the court as they did in previous years.

Young shooting guards Rashad Vaughn and Malcolm Brogdon need minutes to continue their development, and the biggest impact Mayo will have going forward should he re-sign would be in mentoring those two as well as the rest of the core.

With the salary cap going up, some contending team may want to bring in O.J. to provide shooting depth and leadership, believing that last season was not indicative of O.J.’s talent level and ability going forward.

If O.J. wants to return to the Bucks, it would have to be on a substantial pay cut, one that I don’t think Mayo would realistically be interested in.

Final Verdict: Let Go

Next: Greivis Vasquez