O.J. Mayo, Anderson Varejao: NBA Players deserving their first All-Star bid – Part 3
O.J. Mayo
With Dirk Nowitzki missing the action so far this season the Dallas Mavericks could have been far worse than they are right now. With injuries to Shawn Marion and Chris Kaman in December there is only one guy who is trying his level best to keep the 2011 NBA champions in the hunt for a playoffs spot.
O.J Mayo was traded to the Mavs this season and the 25 year old is having the season of his life here. Mayo is setting career-high averages in points (20.2), rebounds (4.0) and assists (3.7). And on top of that 46.8 percent of his shots are going in this season compared to his 40.8 percent efforts from the field last year.
We are not done yet; he leads the league in shooting from distance and has an amazing 50 percent shooting percentage from behind the arc. Comparing his stats with the other guards of the league only Kevin Martin, Ray Allen and Jason Kidd have a better advantage than him but they make fewer shots than him.
His superb shooting should definitely grant him a spot in the ALL-Star game this season.
Anderson Varejao
Anderson Varejao is the top defensive man of the Cleveland Cavaliers side and leads the league in rebounding this season. He is the linchpin of the Cavs defense and also makes his presence felt on the front side of the court.
Double digit double-double’s proves his effectiveness. Joakim Noah is his major competitor, and he is also a monstrous figure on the back side of the court with a healthy rebounding average but Varejao is a level above and Noah’s 3 turnovers a game put Varejao case in front.
However, Cleveland has only won 5 games so far while Chicago Bulls are doing well even without their super star guard Derrick Rose. And as mentioned earlier, a team’s record also plays a part in the selection procedure; chances are that Noah might very well get the slot in place of Varejao.
But Varejao has grabbed 14.4 rebounds and scored a career high 14.1 points per game this season. Any player with those stats deserves a place on the ALL-Star team; let’s not ignore him just because he plays for a middle table team.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
Tags: