Welcome Jeff Taylor!

[Plowright]

So i saw a thread welcoming MKG, but I want to Welcome Jeff Taylor, he was a great value pick! I really believe this kid is going to be a surprise to all of the fans. But, he is a 2nd rounder so I can see people thinking "mehhh he is a nobody" so here are some interesting bits to learn about Jeff Taylor, I implore you to read this/listen/watch the links below if you have time and you will grow to love Jeff Taylor as well.

When Vanderbilt beat Kentucky in October Taylor had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 2 steals on 50% shooting. (in the same game MKG had 5 points, 5 pf and 2 TO in just 16 minutes while guarding Taylor)

When Kentucky beat Vanderbilt in February Taylor had 19 points, 14 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block. (MKG had 8 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assits)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6trjk9f2aio&feature=player_embedded

http://www.nba.com/warriors/2012-draft-prospect-profile-jeffery-taylor

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jeff-Taylor-1351/

[gamecocksmitty4]

To be fair, I think (not positive though) MKG was guarding John Jenkins most of those games. That's not to take away from Taylor. Just to defend MKG.

[WAM9]

I love the offensive highlights just like the next guy but some of those defensive plays on the mix were amazing. I didn't know he was a 3x 1st team all SEC defense.

I thought D Brown was a great 2nd round pick but this guy might take the cake for sure.

[Zoolander]

I really like his defense and the way he gets out in transition. It's gonna be fun to watch the Cats go small this year. Hendo, MkG and JT on the court at the same time would be veeery interesting.

[Veteran_Picksetter]

Yes, welcome to Charlotte Mr. Taylor!

I was very happy with getting Jeff at 31. There's no doubt that Taylor and MKG offer some exciting defensive versatility. I look forward to seeing this lineup at times:

Kemba
Taylor
MKG
Free Agent hopefully with offensive skills??
Biyombo

[Scrapper1]

I love the offensive highlights just like the next guy but some of those defensive plays on the mix were amazing. I didn't know he was a 3x 1st team all SEC defense.

I thought D Brown was a great 2nd round pick but this guy might take the cake for sure.

Agree. He actually reminds me of Thabo Sefolosha..good defense, good attitude, works hard, good shooter.. a steal at #31. A lot of mock drafts had him going as high as the early twenties. If he adjusts to the league as quick as i think he will, Gerald Henderson may be coming off the bench.

[notdeadyet]

I think it was Hoopsworld that had Taylor going 19th in their final mock. Ideally he AND MKG will be on the court together.

[polarcat]

Definitely love the value of the pick and think that with his athleticism that he can play the 2 often. I think the league is seeing a lot more of players that can play multiple positions, but not necessarily a defined "2" or a defined "4". Biyombo is very undersized for the center position, yet he plays it alongside Mullens who has the size like a center but is technically a PF. I think Taylor can run at SG with MKG at the SF spot and also play SF with Hendo at the 2. I think Taylor will be a good guy off the bench for a year or two, but I could see us having to make a decision on one of he, Henderson or MKG at the 2 and 3 after that. Too much talent and I don't think any of the three will be okay with a bench role down the road as they all should have the talent to be a starter.

[ohara831]

Great value at #31. Glad to have him in Charlotte!

[Veteran_Picksetter]

I think Taylor will be a good guy off the bench for a year or two, but I could see us having to make a decision on one of he, Henderson or MKG at the 2 and 3 after that. Too much talent and I don't think any of the three will be okay with a bench role down the road as they all should have the talent to be a starter.

I must respectfully disagree.

Henderson, MKG, and Taylor could each get 32 minutes a night playing the wing spots. Just have Taylor filling in at both positions off the bench.

With the long NBA season and potential for injuries, you really need about 8 guys you would consider a starter....

[Ghost Kat]

I was wondering how long it would take before Taylor starting getting some love on this site. I think i posted that same video the day after the draft. I like this pick, would have rathered a PF but whatever. This guy is like a Shane Battier type. Hustles, can hit the 3, has the size to guard 2's & 3's. I don't think he will be starting but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he did. I think we made this pick as a true back up to MKG, if his offensive game starts to hurt us , well we have Taylor. In my opinion we drafted two of the same type of player.

[gamecocksmitty4]

I've always liked Taylor. Most people will tell you that, even with Jenkins as the #1 option at Vandy, Taylor was the leader of that team. He's a hard worker and will be great for this team. Also, he improved every single year and for the people that get onto MKG about shooting, Taylor shot 22% and 9% (NINE!!!) from behind the arc his first two years respectively. He jumped up to 34.5% his junior year and 42% his senior year. That's an incredible jump. MKG actually shot a better percentage his freshman year (on more attempts too) than Taylor did his freshman year. He can probably give MKG some tips about his adjustments.

[dnbman]

I was wondering how long it would take before Taylor starting getting some love on this site. I think i posted that same video the day after the draft. I like this pick, would have rathered a PF but whatever. This guy is like a Shane Battier type. Hustles, can hit the 3, has the size to guard 2's & 3's. I don't think he will be starting but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he did. I think we made this pick as a true back up to MKG, if his offensive game starts to hurt us , well we have Taylor. In my opinion we drafted two of the same type of player.

Yeah, Shane Battier definitely came to mind, although Shane was also an incredibly fundamentally sound basketball player. Taylor looks more like a bit of risk taking slasher when he goes to the basket. Still, good comparison and a great addition to the team if it's so.

[WAM9]

Yeah, Shane Battier definitely came to mind, although Shane was also an incredibly fundamentally sound basketball player. Taylor looks more like a bit of risk taking slasher when he goes to the basket. Still, good comparison and a great addition to the team if it's so.

I don't necessarily agree with the Battier comparison. While I do agree that Taylor can hopefully fill a similar role as Battier, Taylor is an elite level athlete. Battier is much more athletic than most people give him credit for and he works on defense as hard as anyone in the league but Taylor's athleticism raises his ceiling for me.

[dnbman]

I don't necessarily agree with the Battier comparison. While I do agree that Taylor can hopefully fill a similar role as Battier, Taylor is an elite level athlete. Battier is much more athletic than most people give him credit for and he works on defense as hard as anyone in the league but Taylor's athleticism raises his ceiling for me.

I think it's a wash, as Taylor doesn't seem to be as consistent or as good of a decision maker as Battier. Regardless, if we got that kind of talent (or better!?), it's an amazing pick at 31.

[WAM9]

I think it's a wash, as Taylor doesn't seem to be as consistent or as good of a decision maker as Battier. Regardless, if we got that kind of talent (or better!?), it's an amazing pick at 31.

Well, I do think that Battier is one of the absolute smartest players in the NBA (both on and off the court) so I understand what you are saying.

Either way, this is great to have this type of debate about the potential of our 2nd round pick!

[BlockParty]

Nice Article in today's Observer from bonnell on Taylor, goes to show the outside shot can be developed (with practice and coaching):


LAS VEGAS If Charlotte Bobcats lottery pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist seeks hope that a jump shot can be fixed, he need only glance toward new teammate Jeffery Taylor.

Kidd-Gilchrist was drafted second overall, Taylor 31st. In the shorthand draftniks use to describe prospects, Taylor often was labeled a “3-point specialist.” That made Taylor chuckle.

“I only made one 3 my sophomore season,” Taylor recalled, and he doesn’t exaggerate: Vanderbilt’s statistics list him 1-of-11 from the arc in 2009-10.

Last season as a senior, Taylor made 42.3 percent of his 3-point attempts. He has range and touch, as demonstrated Monday night when he made back-to-back half-court shots in a contest to end the Bobcats’ first summer-league practice.

Kidd-Gilchrist is a remarkable defender/athlete who’s just 18 and needs help with the mechanics of his shooting and dribbling. Taylor doesn’t have so many natural gifts, but he’s more refined, as you might expect from a four-year college player.

They play the same position, but they’re quite different. Kidd-Gilchrist is a small forward playing more like a power forward. Taylor is a small forward who coach Mike Dunlap says can just as easily be a shooting guard.

“He’s well-rounded. It’s nice that he can shoot the 3-ball and he can take the ball athletically to the rim,” Dunlap said of Taylor following Wednesday morning practice at Nevada-Las Vegas.

“He’s one of the better defenders in that league, the SEC. (Florida’s Bradley) Beal said that and also (Kentucky’s) Kidd-Gilchrist said that about him.”

There was a time not so long ago when defense was all you’d hear about Taylor. He showed up at Vanderbilt from Sweden, by way of New Mexico, as a physical kid with a knack for reading defensive angles. In a time when college seniors are an afterthought in the NBA draft, he made himself into a pro over four seasons.

His father, a former Texas Tech player also named Jeff, played briefly in the NBA before establishing himself in a Swedish pro league. Jeffery grew up in Sweden, and before his junior year of high school decided he’d get better basketball training in the United States.

A dual citizen of Sweden and the United States, Taylor moved in with his grandmother in New Mexico. One uncle was an assistant coach at a high school where Taylor played his final two seasons.

Taylor speaks English with minimal Swedish accent, but you can hear the twang from the U.S. Southwest. He picked Vanderbilt for its top academics and for the sophisticated coaching he’d get from Kevin Stallings. It didn’t hurt his recruitment that the Commodores were losing six seniors, so there would be abundant playing time available immediately.

What lifted his 3-point shooting from 11 percent to 42 percent? Practice, practice, practice.

“I shot all the time,” Taylor recalled. “I had to completely change the way I shot and my mentality. It was a lot of work.”

Notes

• Bobcats veterans Gerald Henderson and Reggie Williams showed up Wednesday in Las Vegas to practice with the summer-league squad. Henderson and Williams aren’t eligible to play in summer league games.

“Very encouraging,” Dunlap said. “They didn’t have to do that, it was their choice. I told them I really wanted them here.”

• Henderson has lost some weight, switching to a gluten-free diet of late.

• At Tuesday night’s practice, after guard Cory Higgins lost the ball out of bounds, Dunlap briefly stopped the session to tell players not to beat themselves up over mistakes right now. Dunlap said he won’t be mad about mistakes, only about a lack of effort.

“We have to play hard. I’m hitting that drum as much as I can – that if they’ll give us that, we’ll work with them on eliminating mistakes,” Dunlap said Wednesday.

“We want them to play to their strengths; if you’re constantly hammering them, it gets into their confidence and that’s a tough one for the young players to deal with.”

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/07/11/3377287/rookies-taylor-kidd-cilchrist.html#storylink=cpy

[Zoolander]

Has he signed yet? I must've missed it. I thought he couldn't participate in summer league if unsigned?

[dnbman]

Has he signed yet? I must've missed it. I thought he couldn't participate in summer league if unsigned?

I don't think that's right, as most of the guys on the team don't have contracts.

[Black]

Rick Bonnell ‏@rick_bonnell
#Bobcats sign Jeffery Taylor. Shaky as team's history is with 2nd-rd picks, he looks so far like a keeper.

10characters

[TheBeagle]

10characters Figured it was just a formality but it's always a relief when it's official. Welcome aboard, JT!

Dug the pick on draft night and really think he's flying under the radar. Looking forward to seeing him play tonight.

[captaincrunk]

he played great today

[BlockParty]

Not sure it's even a stretch to say he's by far our best 2nd round pick ever (helps that he was the first pick in the 2nd round), but he is going to be a great addition and earn 20 mpg this season.

[TheBeagle]

Like I said on the game thread, JT has "it". He will push Junior for the starting 2 by next year. He is a more athletic Raja Bell without the nasty, but has a definite attitude that could be cultivated into nasty over time. Fantastic performance in his pro debut!

[DashGlobal]

Like I said on the game thread, JT has "it". He will push Junior for the starting 2 by next year. He is a more athletic Raja Bell without the nasty, but has a definite attitude that could be cultivated into nasty over time. Fantastic performance in his pro debut!

You think he has the handle to play the 2? Not saying he doesnt as I havent really watched him play other than highlights but from my understanding his handle needs work.

[PDXKass]

he played really well last night. i had wondered about taking a couple of guys who play the same primary position, but i think JT and MKG are going to be able to coexist pretty well on the court together.

[dnbman]

he played really well last night. i had wondered about taking a couple of guys who play the same primary position, but i think JT and MKG are going to be able to coexist pretty well on the court together.

Yeah, and worst case scenario: we have an embarrassment of riches at the wing and trade Taylor for another great player. We know we have either a contributor or an asset, which you'll take every time with the 31st pick.

[SirBobcat]

Taylor reminds me of a prototypical San Antonio player. Mostly a smart basketball player who just has a collective cool about what to do on the basketball court. He's going to be a nice pickup for the Cats.

[QC Thundercats]

And whoever said Taylor reminded them of Allan Houston, man, I thought that for a split second but I couldn't come up with a good comparison... He showed some explosiveness when he got in the paint area and off the baseline and his defense was relentless. He seems like an extremely complete player.

I can see where the Houston comparison comes from in regards to build and nice shooting form, but it doesn't seem the best comparison. Houston was one of those elite natural shooters/scorers, but didn't have much in the way of defense.

To me, he actually reminds me a lot of a former Charlotte player, Bobby Phills. Phills was also very strong and athletic, had a high basketball IQ, was poised, shot near 40% from 3 for his career, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive 2nd team. He averaged near 15 PPG at his peak before the tragedy.

Taylor seems like he has these same qualities, and if he becomes the next Phills, I'd take that in a heartbeat.

Check it out, what do yall think?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deRDhiZHXKY

[Twan's Kin]

Time to withdraw the qualifying offer to Derrick Brown.

[TheBeagle]

You think he has the handle to play the 2? Not saying he doesnt as I havent really watched him play other than highlights but from my understanding his handle needs work. No worse than Junior.