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Anyone else high on him, as a Mavs fan, I think he'd be an excellent successor to Marion, 17 might be a bit high, but excellent defender, much improved shooter, elite athleticism, he's a bit older but what's not to like?

He will be picked late first round, my guess.

You listed his strengths, he is limited as a scorer, bad ballhandling, left hand non existent, jumpshot improved but inconsistent, so he is pretty much non existent on offense at the next level and already 23 years old. Agree on the defensive potential tho!

His stock will depend on measurements heavily i think, especially height and wingspan!

ElMaestro90 wrote:He will be picked late first round, my guess.

You listed his strengths, he is limited as a scorer, bad ballhandling, left hand non existent, jumpshot improved but inconsistent, so he is pretty much non existent on offense at the next level and already 23 years old. Agree on the defensive potential tho!

His stock will depend on measurements heavily i think, especially height and wingspan!

A lot of the better small forwards are average ball handlers, LEBRON is really the exception, Durant, gay, Marion, melo those guys are average to below average ball handlers, the scoring is definitely a concern, but if a guy can get 10-12 points plus play elite defense, that's pretty good value

Durant and Melo are not average ball handlers, especially when you consider their size and position. But, Jeff Taylor needs to work on that shot. He does that, and stays active off ball and he'll be able to contribute on offense while being a good defender.

Jheri Curl wrote:Durant and Melo are not average ball handlers, especially when you consider their size and position. But, Jeff Taylor needs to work on that shot. He does that, and stays active off ball and he'll be able to contribute on offense while being a good defender.

They both are average ball handlers

lovethewire wrote:

Jheri Curl wrote:Durant and Melo are not average ball handlers, especially when you consider their size and position. But, Jeff Taylor needs to work on that shot. He does that, and stays active off ball and he'll be able to contribute on offense while being a good defender.

They both are average ball handlers

Durant and Melo are both above average ballhandlers.

lovethewire wrote:

Jheri Curl wrote:Durant and Melo are not average ball handlers, especially when you consider their size and position. But, Jeff Taylor needs to work on that shot. He does that, and stays active off ball and he'll be able to contribute on offense while being a good defender.

They both are average ball handlers

No they are not, especially Carmelo (Durant also) are GOOD ballhandlers at 6'9, both can get anywhere they want on the floor with the ball, both play point forward a lot, have good crossovers and hesitation moves, so tell me why you think they are average?!
If they are average then Jeff Taylor can't even bounce a ball!

His shot was pretty damn water last season...

Food for thought. Jeff Taylor's wingspan is only 6'6'' which is shorter than his height; this is pretty uncommon for a soon-to-be proffesional basketball player.

vincecarter4pres wrote:His shot was pretty damn water last season...

He's got a very smooth shot and nice jumper that will only improve. I go to Vandy so I was able to see a bunch of his games (and hang out with him a few times). He can come in day one and be a great defender...I have no doubt about that. Give him a couple of years and he can become a lock down perimeter defender with a good offensive game. I don't think he'll ever average 16+, but I think 12-14 with great defense is where he'll be. One of my biggest issues with him is his propensity to disappear during games.

Paco wrote:

vincecarter4pres wrote:His shot was pretty damn water last season...

He's got a very smooth shot and nice jumper that will only improve. I go to Vandy so I was able to see a bunch of his games (and hang out with him a few times). He can come in day one and be a great defender...I have no doubt about that. Give him a couple of years and he can become a lock down perimeter defender with a good offensive game. I don't think he'll ever average 16+, but I think 12-14 with great defense is where he'll be. One of my biggest issues with him is his propensity to disappear during games.

when you say disappear are you speaking of strictly offensive or does his defense disappear too?

lovethewire wrote:

Paco wrote:

vincecarter4pres wrote:His shot was pretty damn water last season...

He's got a very smooth shot and nice jumper that will only improve. I go to Vandy so I was able to see a bunch of his games (and hang out with him a few times). He can come in day one and be a great defender...I have no doubt about that. Give him a couple of years and he can become a lock down perimeter defender with a good offensive game. I don't think he'll ever average 16+, but I think 12-14 with great defense is where he'll be. One of my biggest issues with him is his propensity to disappear during games.

when you say disappear are you speaking of strictly offensive or does his defense disappear too?

Nah, not his defense. He just disappears on offense...happened for stretches at a time. Passing up open shots, not being aggressive, etc.

Paco wrote:

vincecarter4pres wrote:His shot was pretty damn water last season...

He's got a very smooth shot and nice jumper that will only improve. I go to Vandy so I was able to see a bunch of his games (and hang out with him a few times). He can come in day one and be a great defender...I have no doubt about that. Give him a couple of years and he can become a lock down perimeter defender with a good offensive game. I don't think he'll ever average 16+, but I think 12-14 with great defense is where he'll be. One of my biggest issues with him is his propensity to disappear during games.

I swear I was going to add to that post, wait til Paco sees this thread.

True story.

vincecarter4pres wrote:

Paco wrote:

vincecarter4pres wrote:His shot was pretty damn water last season...

He's got a very smooth shot and nice jumper that will only improve. I go to Vandy so I was able to see a bunch of his games (and hang out with him a few times). He can come in day one and be a great defender...I have no doubt about that. Give him a couple of years and he can become a lock down perimeter defender with a good offensive game. I don't think he'll ever average 16+, but I think 12-14 with great defense is where he'll be. One of my biggest issues with him is his propensity to disappear during games.

I swear I was going to add to that post, wait til Paco sees this thread.

True story.

Might as well add my 2 cents on the guys that I know best.


With our board becoming unreadable, I may come here to post more. Love watching the combine, reading the analysis, watching old games, and talking about the players. SImply put -- I just love the draft and the leading weeks up to it.

Paco wrote:

lovethewire wrote:when you say disappear are you speaking of strictly offensive or does his defense disappear too?

Nah, not his defense. He just disappears on offense...happened for stretches at a time. Passing up open shots, not being aggressive, etc.

Yup.

Although he was a lot more aggressive this year compared to year's past, he was quite happy to sink into the shadows and let John Jenkins do his thing a lot of games.

It's not a good thing, but at the same time if you have a shooting guard or point guard that needs and should get a lot of shots and offensive responsibility, and/or a big man the same, it's not necessarily going to be a bad thing on the next level.

The passing open shots thing would need to end though.

But deferring is likely to be more his role anyway a lot of the time, especially his first 2 or 3 years assuming he eventually becomes a solid starter but starts off a bench guy.

I agree, I could see him at 12 to 15 a game as a 4th option in a jack of all trades mold, similar to a poor man's Iggy, less playmaking and passing though.

vincecarter4pres wrote:

Paco wrote:

lovethewire wrote:when you say disappear are you speaking of strictly offensive or does his defense disappear too?

Nah, not his defense. He just disappears on offense...happened for stretches at a time. Passing up open shots, not being aggressive, etc.

Yup.

Although he was a lot more aggressive this year compared to year's past, he was quite happy to sink into the shadows and let John Jenkins do his thing a lot of games.

It's not a good thing, but at the same time if you have a shooting guard or point guard that needs and should get a lot of shots and offensive responsibility, and/or a big man the same, it's not necessarily going to be a bad thing on the next level.

The passing open shots thing would need to end though.

But deferring is likely to be more his role anyway a lot of the time, especially his first 2 or 3 years assuming he eventually becomes a solid starter but starts off a bench guy.

I agree, I could see him at 12 to 15 a game as a 4th option in a jack of all trades mold, similar to a poor man's Iggy, less playmaking and passing though.

Agreed with the whole post aside from a poor man's Iggy -- I think he is going to be a better, and more athletic, Thabo.

Agreed with the whole post aside from a poor man's Iggy -- I think he is going to be a better, and more athletic, Thabo.[/quote]

Sefolosha is a good comparison, but not quite as good as Sefolosha (if wingspan is really 6'6 i just do not see that happening, without the length he will be a good defender but not a lockdown defender)

The wingspan is only a slight problem for him, IMO. He is an absolute FREAK athlete, very quick laterally, fast north to south, and has quick hands and very good defensive instincts. I truly think Taylor will be one of the top perimeter defenders in the NBA in a few years (and a very good one right off the bat).

ElMaestro90 wrote:Agreed with the whole post aside from a poor man's Iggy -- I think he is going to be a better, and more athletic, Thabo.

Sefolosha is a good comparison, but not quite as good as Sefolosha (if wingspan is really 6'6 i just do not see that happening, without the length he will be a good defender but not a lockdown defender)[/quote]
Long arms have almost zero to do with defense, especially when a guy has a 40 inch vertical

lovethewire wrote:

ElMaestro90 wrote:Agreed with the whole post aside from a poor man's Iggy -- I think he is going to be a better, and more athletic, Thabo.

Sefolosha is a good comparison, but not quite as good as Sefolosha (if wingspan is really 6'6 i just do not see that happening, without the length he will be a good defender but not a lockdown defender)

Long arms have almost zero to do with defense, especially when a guy has a 40 inch vertical[/quote]


I think it can be very important, because long arms helps you deflecting passes, alter the shot or block the shot!
If you look at the top perimeter defender right now: Deng, Iggy, LeBron, Tony Allen, K. Leonard, P. George, D. Granger, (Marion, G. Wallace or Artest, old generation) what do you notice everyone has at least a 6'10 wingspan?!

@ Paco, do you see him defending the SF or SG's more?

Like i said before, i think he will be a GOOD defender, but i am not sold if he will be a lockdown defender yet, and i do not think he will be a lockdown SF defender if he has that T-Rex arms, even if he has outstanding athleticism, maybe lockdown SG defender, but like i said not sold on that