Memphis, December 1, 2008 — Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo was named the NBA’s T-Mobile Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played from the start of the season (Oct. 28) through November, the NBA announced today.
Mayo, the third overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, leads all rookies with a team-high 21.9 points per game, the highest scoring average for a first-year player since Allen Iverson (23.4 ppg) in 1996-97. The 6-4, 210-pound guard ranks in the Top 10 among rookies in seven major categories, including scoring average, minutes (39.4, 1st), assists (2.2, 7th), steals (1.29, 3rd), field goal percentage (.464, 10th), three-point field goal percentage (.388, 7th) and free throw percentage (.896, 3rd).
The only rookie to score in double figures in every game played this season, Mayo is just the fourth rookie since the 1982-83 season to post four 30-plus point games within his first 17 career contests, along with Michael Jordan (6, 1984-85), Iverson (5, 1996-97) and Terry Cummings (4, 1982-83).
Mayo, who is the first Grizzlies player to be named Rookie of the Month since Tarence Kinsey in April 2007, is on pace to become just the fifth rookie since the 1996-97 season to average over 39.0 minutes per game, joining LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Iverson and Shane Battier.
The Grizzlies will travel tomorrow to face the Atlanta Hawks at 6 p.m. at Philips Arena.