21-year old O.J. Mayo had a fantastic rookie season and the Grizzlies expect him to improve. He played in all 82 games last season for the Grizzlies and he averaged 38.0 minutes, 18.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The Grizzlies expect Mayo to score a couple of more points this season. Backing up Mayo will be Allen Iverson who will also be backing up point guard Mike Conley. Iverson should score in bunches off the bench for the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies have given 30-year old SG Marko Jaric’s agent permission to seek out a trade with another team. He played in 53 games for the Grizzlies last season and he averaged 11.4 minutes, 2.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. 23-year old Mike Taylor is a underrated basketball player as he played in 51 games (5 starts) as a rookie last season for the Clippers and he averaged 15.1 minutes, 5.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. If Jaric is moved in a trade, Taylor could get some minutes at both SG and PG. 24-year old Thomas Gardner will have a hard time making the Grizzlies. He played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Hawks last season and he averaged 6.1 mintues, 1.5 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2009-2010: B