NBA fans know that the Milwaukee Bucks have been an enormous disappointment this year. The Bucks still have not been officially eliminated from the playoffs, but they are 6.5 games back in the Eastern Conference with 17 games left to play. Their chances of getting in are basically nil.
Even though the Bucks have very little chance of making the postseason though, they still don't want to see their guys go down with injuries. Recently, they have been hit hard by the injury bug and, more specifically, the season-ending injury bug. First Michael Carter-Williams was ruled out for the season after he decided to undergo season-ending hip surgery and now O.J. Mayo is also out for the remainder of the season.
Mayo was walking down the stairs at his home on Thursday morning when he fell and hurt his ankle. It was revealed that Mayo fractured the ankle and Bucks general manager John Hammond announced he would be done for the rest of the season. It is unclear if Mayo will require surgery but it does remain a possibility and it is also possible that this injury could impact him beyond this season.
Mayo is in the final year of his three-year, $24 million contract with the Bucks so this injury very well could mark the end of his days in Milwaukee. Mayo appeared in just 41 games this season and averaged 7.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 26.6 minutes a night. Mayo's three seasons in Milwaukee haven't gone as well as hoped as he struggled with both weight and personal issues.
Overall Mayo's career has been a bit of a disappointment as the former number three overall pick came out of the gate strong in his first two seasons in Memphis, but fell off in year three. He simply hasn't been the type of player his talent says he could be. Mayo is still a serviceable NBA player that can score but he is a guy many people thought had star potential. Instead, he bottomed out and averaged a career-low in points this season.
It will be interesting to see how much interest the 28-year-old garners in free agency. Obviously his recovery from this ankle injury will have a lot to do with it, but the salary cap is going up and Mayo is a career 37 percent three point shooter, so he should have suitors.
