O.J. Mayo injures shooting hand during Mavericks European Tour, likely to be out for few days – NBA News
As the Dallas Mavericks look forward to an interesting season for the team, they might not have their newly acquired guard O.J. Mayo in the team line-up for opening night. The Mavericks went through a difficult free agency this
year after they failed to land the man on whom they had pinned all their hopes, Deron Williams. Williams decided to re-sign with the Brooklyn Nets and the Mavericks, in a last minute rescue, were able to land some good pieces to keep them competitive for the
upcoming season. Those pieces included under-rated guard O.J. Mayo. The addition of Mayo gave the Mavericks the back court strength they needed after veteran guards Jason Kidd and Jason Terry decided to change teams during the summer.
However, the team has recently announced that Mayo suffered a cut on his shooting hand during the Mavericks European tour, and is likely to miss a few games. Mayo did not participate in the team practice on Saturday, and although
he is not expected to be out for long, a return date is yet to be officially announced.
“He slipped on some steps and fell down and actually took a big chunk of skin off of his hand. Ninety-eight out of a hundred NBA players wouldn't have played in the Barcelona game, but he wanted to play. He struggled shooting the
ball, and I think that was the reason,” said Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle while appearing on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM.
Mayo went 0 of 7 from the field and could only garner 1 point in the Mavericks loss to FC Barcelona Regal. The game was part of a European Tour by the Mavs, which included a game against Alba Berlin preceding the Barcelona fixture.
Mayo has a big role to play in the Mavericks team this coming season, as the responsibilities of the Mavs backcourt fall on his shoulder after the departure of Terry and Kidd. The coming season is also important for him, as he
will get the opportunity to start the game and play extended minutes after being reduced to a 6th man role with the Memphis Grizzlies over the past few seasons. If Mayo wants to be taken seriously as one of the premier guards in the league, he has
the opportunity in a Mavericks roster that will play him for extended periods and will be relying on him to deliver.
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