Monday, December 6, 2010

Xavier Henry Unlikely To Lose Starting Spot

In a recent article appearing in the Memphis Commerical Appeal, Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins praised rookie guard Xavier Henry's play. Hollins said Henry "is just poised and mature beyond his years. He understands the big picture of what's going on. That's what you like to see in all your players - come in the league mature."

The Breakdown
Xavier's solid play on the defensive end is the main reason he's starting over O.J. Mayo and seeing 21.5 minutes a night. The fact that his play is getting high praise makes it very likely he stays in the starting five for the foreseeable future. But even though Henry is starting, he's mainly contributing the intangibles that don't help in fantasy basketball. Henry's value is strictly relegated to deep leagues.

As a result of the rookie's emergence, Mayo's fantasy value is plummeting. He's essentially becomes the Grizzlies' version of J.R. Smith, an inconsistent player who only contributes points and threes. In standard leagues, Mayo is a back of the bench option at best. A few people have already started to drop O.J. and, at this point, you can't argue with them.

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