When Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins moved O.J. Mayo to the bench early this season, the intent was to give his team something it hadn’t had since Hollins took over a year-and-a-half earlier: A bona fide sixth-man. Someone who could be counted on to play significant minutes off the bench and provide consistent production.
- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Darrell Arthur has lead a vastly improved Grizzlies bench this season.
Well, the Grizzlies have, indeed, had a strong sixth man this season, but it hasn’t been Mayo, who missed 10 games to league suspension and has been an erratic performer all season. Instead, it’s been third-year forward Darrell Arthur.
When Zach Randolph was out early on, Arthur stepped up, opening the season with six straight double-figure scoring games. When Rudy Gay was injured in mid-February, Arthur again stepped in to fill part of the scoring void. And he’s provided strong play at both ends behind Randolph and Marc Gasol all season.
Offensively, Arthur has emerged this season as a deadly pick-and-pop threat, increasingly his shooting percentage on jumpers from 35% last season to 43% this season and helping provide floor spacing on a team that doesn’t shoot many threes. He’s also been better on the block and off the dribble, showing a developing jump hook and a penchant for quick face-up moves against bigger players, resulting in a bump in his shooting percentage on interior shots from 54% last season to 66% this season.
