[RUDEBOY_Participant]

I’ve read alot of articles and ive heard alot of people compare OJ to Kobe..I dont see the comparisons..

Mayo is younger and like Kobe has shown he can provide in the clutch..Mayo had a better rookie year then Kobe..Both have great 1st steps..Mayo is a great athlete but not on the level Kobe has been on..Both have nice mid-range games..But other then that i dont see the comparisons..

Kobe is a much better slasher to the basket..A few inches taller..And a much superior athlete…

The player i might compare Mayo to is Joe Dumars

[McDunkin]

Maybe they still have his high school career in mind

[JNixonParticipant]

They made the same kinds of moves (turnaround mid-range jumpers, fake jab steps that lead into contested jump shots, posting up from the elbow). I don’t think it’s a great comparison though. O.J. Mayo reminds me of a shorter Joe Johnson in the way he operates and uses his strength to score and he can make jump shots very well. Both play at their own unique pace and can score without playing at full speed all the time.

[Toronto16Participant]

I have never heard anyone compare OJ Mayo to Kobe.

[PureshooterParticipant]

I have never heard that comparison either. There might be a few similarities in the way they play or move, but Mayo will never be near what Kobe is as a player.

[SteroidParticipant]

Anytime there is an OJ Mayo thread, people seem to compare OJ to Kobe is some kind of way…

[PureshooterParticipant]

They had similar hype coming out of high school, but it is clear Mayo has a much lower ceiling. I think Mayo is a good player, but Kobe is a legend.

[Memphisboy14Participant]

As a Grizz fan I think that OJ gets compared to Kobe mainly because, of his demeanor and his work ethic. His work ethic is crazy and he has a calm demeanor and he never gets rattled. I think that his ceiling is a Rich Man’s Chauncey Billups.

[Tobe BryantParticipant]

People are looking more at a comparision from their mental aspects than physical. They are both hard-working and are willing to do anything to get better, if it’s shootin with your non-dominant hand to overcome a shoulder injury in a game or playing in the league as an established star to work on other facets of your game.

But I agree about the high school career, I remember the game they played St. Patrick Prep, Corey Fisher’s high school, and he looked just like Kobe dropping 40 points and dominating the ball!

If Mayo was 6’6/6’7, would the comparision be valid then?

[Tobe BryantParticipant]

Insert “summer” before league in my post. Thanks!

[Real Talk Real TrophiesParticipant]

That is an awfully high ceiling, he will never be mr clutch or Finals mvp like chauncy.

[Memphisboy14Participant]

OJ was called a bigger and stronger more athletic Chauncey even before he got drafted.

[TRC1991Participant]

I want to say OJ Mayo reminds me of a smaller Joe Johnson but its hard to compare solid NBA players to other players because if you’re a good NBA player then that means you’re doing stuff different than what other players are doing

[TRC1991Participant]

I want to say OJ Mayo reminds me of a smaller Joe Johnson but its hard to compare solid NBA players to other players because if you’re a good NBA player then that means you’re doing stuff different than what other players are doing

[ghettosermonParticipant]

I’ll agree somewhat to the Chauncey comparison when Chauncey was coming out of college and his first few years of his career, but Chauncey really grew into the PG role and learned the nuances. No matter how hard he works and how hard he wants it I just don’t think Mayo will ever develop into an allstar point guard. He’s a 2 guard to me and to be honest that’s what he needs to focus on. His strengths are scoring and defense while he’s a horrible creator for others, he needs to drop this whole fascination with being a point guard. He can be an allstar SG, but as a PG he would be absolutely below average in terms of making for others. It just reminds me of when Joe Johnson wanted to play PG for the Hawks. Just stick with what you do best. It’s like a Full back who wants to play running back because they think they can carry the ball, when in actuality what they are best at is blocking.

[dipt1982Participant]

I think Mayo in some ways plays like Kobe, in some ways he’s like Johnson. He has the skill set and tools of Johnson with the maturity, drive and demeanor of Kobe. He will never touch Kobes ceiling, but he will get better. I would have liked to see Gay go elsewhere so Mayo could really be the centerpiece.

If he was 6’6” or 6’7”, I think people would portray the comparison a little better, but people get hung up on size so much, with good reason. He is not Kobe, but he is a really good player…I see him somewhere between Kobe and Johnson…and before you start talking crap about him being 6’4”, I’m talking about skill set, not size…

[nuffsaid_2001Participant]

Thats where the comparison stops, Chauncey billups is more athletic than mayo game time not in combine where it doesnt count. Mayo will be an allstar once or twice and as everyone has stated Joe johnson small

[SubZeroParticipant]

OJ is the same as Kobe in that they both take the same type of shots and the way they create shots for themselves. Kobe is just a lot better at it.

[SlimParticipant]

same repertoire, but OJ is 6’4 with a average wingspan, limits his post defense and strength, and finishing ability around the rim

+both are volume shooters
+both hit tough shots at a high clip
+similar FG%

OJ though being shorter has to take shots out further or risk getting his shot blocked, Kobe also although he has length and can shoot over defenders better while drivin the lane

Also Kobe can still get to the free throw line at a decent clip, 7-8 times a game but OJ only gets there 3 times per 36 minutes.

[IknoBall12Participant]

but the comparisons were more about ojs drive to get better than his skill set. they were saying he has kobes drive as far as practicing all th etime and he said kobe was his role model but thats about it. the high school oj was comparable to kobe. i dont see the player oj is becoming now as comparable tho

[JRdaFilipinoParticipant]

I think its because Mayo has the tools and skills to be somewhat like Kobe, buts its safe to say that won’t happen. People are just obsessed with dubbing the next great mega star ,after Jordan do you know how many prospects were compared to Jordan before one guy (Kobe) actually came close? I remember this site compared Deshawn Stevenson to MJ, so many others before and after him were also compared to Jordan but never came close, this is just another one of them. Mayo, I think, will turn out to be a very good and consistent all star kind of guy, but to say he is the next Kobe Bryant is a REACH. He does though have the tools and skills reach that level, but its so much more, Kobe’s work ethic is unreal and his mindset is just out of this world.. do you remember Chris Rock tried to crack jokes with Kobe during the finals, dude was stone cold because he has that ‘killer instinct’; If Mayo had one or developed somewhat of a killer instinct then, Yes, the comparison to Kobe wouldn’t be that far fetched IMO. But its more than skill and talent, to me, its Kobe’s mental approach to the game that sets him apart which enables him to go above and beyond anyones imaginations.

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