Atlanta Hawks: Prospect focus: Vanderbilt’s Jeffery Taylor
Here’s something different: An NBA hopeful who’s about defense.
“I think it’s more of a mental thing,” said Vanderbilt wing Jeffery Taylor. “It’s more about how you approach the game. I think a lot of guys nowadays don’t really value defense. It’s all about scoring, the highlight plays and whatnot. My dad always instilled in me a defensive mentality. You need to be prideful in what you do on the court, and part of having pride is not letting someone score on you.”
Taylor was voted to the SEC’s all-defense team three times, joining Mississippi State’s Jarvis Varnado as the only players in league history to do so. He says he’s been a “big fan of [Thabo] Sefolosha for a long time.”
“I think defense is kind of like a lost art, almost,” Taylor said. “If you look at Sefolosha in the playoffs, he’s playing tremendous defense. He’s making a lot of key plays for them. A wing defender that’s good at what he does and can score the ball as well is a valuable asset.”
Taylor’s focus on defense has paid off. His potential at that end is what makes him a possible first-round pick in a league where perimeter scorers predominate and wing defenders are valuable.
Hawks assistant GM Dave Pendergraft said Taylor has the athleticism and basketball IQ to be an “above-average” defender but noted Taylor’s prowess didn’t jump out at him while watching video.
“He has that reputation of being one of the better defenders in the NCAA, and he looked like a good defender but it’s not like he strikes fear in you,” Pendergraft said. “We bring him here [for a workout] and watch his footwork and how quick he is, you can see it really up close. He’s got really quick feet and he’s very, very strong and very athletic.
“He is one of the better defenders in college basketball. Does it transfer over to the NBA? You’d like to think so because he does have quick feet and he has good size. I don’t think there is a lot of negatives. He does have average length but there have been a lot of good defenders with average length if they a have quick feet but he understands the angles.”
That’s where the comparisons to Sefolosha and Taylor end. Taylor is shorter than Sefolosha and not nearly as long–he has a relatively short 6-6 wingspan.
On the plus side, Taylor is more athletic than Sefolosha and potentially a better shooter.
“The surprising things is how well he shoots it,” Pendergraft said. “When you go from [22] percent to [43] percent as senior [on 3-pointers], he’s made great strides shooting the ball. Towards the end of season at Vandy I expected it to go in. It was the same thing here [for workouts]. In all the shooting drills he was at a high percentage.”
Even when Taylor wasn’t making shots he was still an efficient scorer because of a good free-throw rate (in spite of a poor free-throw percentage. A DraftExpress.com analysis showed that Taylor was a high-efficiency, low-usage scorer in transition at Vandy.
Taylor had a high turnover rate, however, because he’s a shaky ball-handler.
“It’s definitely something I need to work on,” he said. “That’s probably one of my main focuses right now.”
Taylor’s dad, Jeff, was a guard at Texas Tech and played 56 games in the NBA before starting a career in Europe. Jeffery Taylor was born and raised in Sweden and came to the U.S. when he was 17; he has dual citizenship.
“That was a bit of a culture shock,” he said. “The U.S. is a lot different from Sweden: culture, people, school. I was having a culture shock experience for the first five or six months but then I got used to it and it wasn’t a big deal.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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195 comments Add your comment
tjhook
June 27th, 2012
1:08 am
this link, I hope, sheds some light on why I think we are close to a breakthrough with the current roster.
http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2012/5/22/3037699/is-it-a-coaching-issue-or-a-player-decision-making-issue
tjhook
June 27th, 2012
1:08 am
Could you please bring this concern to Danny Ferry’s attention, MC?
Hawks Blog Legend Worldwide Clyde
June 27th, 2012
1:39 am
Hawks Blog Legeng Worldwide Clyde
June 26th, 2012
6:22 pm
We need a center that can come in and block shots more than a wing or a backup point. Festus Ezeli is all about protecting the rim not moving out the way when people drive to the hole.
We haven’t had a center since Mutombo left and now is our time to get one. Horford, Collins, and Dampier ain’t gonna cut anymore.
tjhook
June 27th, 2012
3:42 am
MC, I read this link about a summer roster addition. What are the Hawks’ people saying behind the scenes?
tjhook
June 27th, 2012
3:43 am
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1200957-atlanta-hawks-latest-trade-rumors-free-agent-news-draft-buzz#/articles/1200957-atlanta-hawks-latest-trade-rumors-free-agent-news-draft-buzz/page/7
will
June 27th, 2012
7:32 am
Not true, when nique was in his prime with the hawks, the old omni arena was the place to be, packed every home gm.
O'Brien
June 27th, 2012
7:58 am
I think people get too hung up on whether or not a guy drafted at #23 can create his own shot. Can Sefolosha create his own shot? Can Battier create his own shot? I’m not saying Taylor should be the pick, but I wouldn’t hold it against him not being able to create his own shot.
FWIW, On espn first take, Chad Ford said the biggest sleeper outisde of the lottery is…Draymond Green.
MsDee
June 27th, 2012
8:10 am
@tjhook,
Im loving this whole response from the article u posted at 1:08am
“I think coaching definitely plays a role, but saying it is a coaching issue only is absolving Josh Smith too much, IMO. Josh has to know his limitations as a player and play within himself, and he simply doesn’t. I’m of the opinion that there may be no coach outside of Greg Popovich possibly that could get Josh to play within himself. Josh, right now, has an intense desire to expand his game, even if it means playing outside of the scheme, so to speak.
Larry’s problem here, IMO, is when Josh does this, there is no discipline taken. However, you let Jeff Teague or Ivan Johnson do something that he doesn’t like, and he comes down on them with an iron fist.
What I would be interested in seeing is how the efficiency distribution would change if Al Horford was more of a focal point in the offense. Unlike Josh Smith, Al Horford hits perimeter jumpers at a high clip. I’d be interested in seeing a nice little two man game between Al and Joe with Joe playing in the post some with Al as a high post. I think it could be reminiscent of the way we played with Steve Smith as a post up guard with Christian Laettner as a high post perimeter shooter. That combo was very good.
by KB21 on May 23, 2012 8:59 AM EDT
MsDee
June 27th, 2012
8:34 am
Someone asked who would we like the Hawks drafting at #23..My 3 choices are Jeff Taylor, Draymond Green, or Festus Ezeli. Any one of those guys I would be OK with drafting. Now if Royce or Andrew Nick drops, then have at it!!
MsDee
June 27th, 2012
8:36 am
My ideal choice would be Draymond cause he can do multiple things PLUS is has a BIG BASKETBALL IQ!! Thats a huge bonus!
O'Brien
June 27th, 2012
8:43 am
Marc James: NBA Source just told me the Bobcats will probably trade the 2nd pick. This is gonna be an Exhilirating 48 hours for Charlotte. Same NBA Source told me Michael Jordan is giving Rich Cho Full Autonomy on Trades, Draft Decisions, Free Agency, etc. Things are looking up..Twitter
vava74
June 27th, 2012
8:47 am
Tony Wroten said to Hawks TV that as a youngster, he admired Penny Hardaway and more recently, Tyreke Evans, John Wall and Russell Westbrook.
Of the Hawks, he admires Josh’s athleticism and JJ’s scoring.
He is obviously a ME first kind of guy, which, is not necessarily bad, but when you already have a roster with two ME first guys (Josh and JJ)… we may be looking at a bad fit, even if came out at a good level.
vava74
June 27th, 2012
8:50 am
Draymond seems to have a very good attitude: spoke about managing to graduate in the middle of the work outs, spoke about his maturity being a plus and about being being able to fit anywhere and contribute in any role.
brigadierjerry
June 27th, 2012
8:52 am
ms dee,
it wass me who asked hawks fans who are ur top 5 choices that u want hawks to pick
vava74
June 27th, 2012
8:53 am
Jeffrey Taylor sounded a bit introvert and shy, which probably will slow his adaptation to the NBA.
O'Brien
June 27th, 2012
8:53 am
I don’t think Orlando is in a position of strength, because everybody knows Dwight wants out, he is coming off back surgery, and he only has one year left on his deal.
Therefore, I think Houston will be able to put together the best package for him (better than the Nets). Orlando can probably choose from a combination of Dalembert, #14, #16, #18, Kevin Martin, Scola, and Lowry.
But if I’m the Hawks, I would get it in on it. Give me Dalembert and Lowry for Josh. I know Dalembert and Zaza will both be free agents one year from now, but I think they can both be resigned, since they will split the center minutes almost 50-50 (imo).
That would leave Kevin Martin, Scola, and picks 14, 16, and 18 to work out a deal with Orlando. And Houston would still have the cap space to sign Deron Williams.
MsDee
June 27th, 2012
8:53 am
Marc James: NBA Source just told me the Bobcats will probably trade the 2nd pick. This is gonna be a an Exhilirating 48 hours for Charlotte. #Bobcats Twitter
Draft question for the day: Would you trade both Josh and JJ for the #2 draft pick? We could then draft Bradley Beal who I think will be great in the NBA to replace JJ and then draft a SF at #23. With money freed up, we could get some really good quality free agents to fill in at available positions. So what do yall blog family think??
O'Brien
June 27th, 2012
8:56 am
Obviously I would love to trade Al and Joe for Dwight, but I don’t think Orlando wants any part of JJ’s contract.
Imagine Josh and Dwight in Houston together? They are coached by McHale, and with Olajuwon and his Houston ties, I think we would see an immediate improvement in both of their low post games.
vava74
June 27th, 2012
8:57 am
Festus sounded good too. Seemed to be a very mature guy and, as you expect from a defensive player, a team first guy.
Though, coming from Nigeria there is the possibility that he is 30 years old already…
MsDee
June 27th, 2012
9:03 am
Oh..ok brigadierjerry,
KevinM
June 27th, 2012
9:08 am
Ezeli has Dampier hands…..ez on the guaranteed contract there.
I gotta think at 23 you go get you some shooters in this draft….they are out there….Lamb, Jenkins….if you could wrangle Terrance Ross away from Milwaukee at 12.
I’m not necessarily looking for Joe’s replacement, but you gotta start looking in that direction. Without Joe, we really don’t have a shooter on this roster. Marvin doesn’t qualify for filling a need here.
Move Josh, Joe and Marvin, and Ferry will have the majority’s backing. Move Josh because he isn’t going back to the blocks.
KevinM
June 27th, 2012
9:09 am
I would like to hear we flirted with Charlotte or Sac’s pick before time runs out.
Ra'mon
June 27th, 2012
9:24 am
Guys, the sleeper of the draft that I see Ferry going for, is Fournier. He’s a 6′7 wing who can handle the ball like a PG, great at penetrating and pick and roll. He struggles on his jump shot, but we all know that is a skill that can be taught much easier than ball handling. He’s also the youngest prospect in the draft. You add a jump shot and he’s a top 10 pick.
Astro Joe
June 27th, 2012
9:27 am
The reason #2 is available is because there isn’t a “guaranteed” future All-Star after Anthony Davis.
Astro Joe
June 27th, 2012
9:33 am
Ra’mon, Wroten is an inch shorter than Fournier but sounds like a similar player. I’m not bumping for Wroten as much as trying to figure out why his stock is so low (and when draft picks were required to have functional jumpers from day 1).
cp, at #23, we’re not going to get a finished product. All of them will have a few things to develop as pros. So it seems like you draft based on adding a ready-for-the-NBA skill set plus the upside if that player develops the other skills.
Pendergraft’s comments about Taylor almost sound like he has never evaluated a wing defender before. How is it that he doesn’t know if being an exceptional defender in college translates to the NBA? Shouldn’t he know that?
vava74
June 27th, 2012
9:41 am
AJ,
Zone D makes good defensive players look better than they actually are on more open game situations.
vava74
June 27th, 2012
9:42 am
… and Zone D is more extensively used in College than in the NBA due to inferior ability/technical preparation/coaching in College allowing it to be more effective.
O'Brien
June 27th, 2012
9:45 am
Ra’mon,
Do you think Josh looks at Marvin and his $8.3 mil contract for this year and wonders why ownership doesn’t amnesty him to free up some salary? If the Hawks amnesty Marvin, that gives them ~$5 mil in salary cap space. I think $5 mil can go along way. JR Smith and Randy Foye are rumored to be in the $3 mil range each, Steve Nash may be in the $5 mil range, Ray Allen maybe.
MsDee
June 27th, 2012
9:52 am
I say give the Bobcats JJ and Josh for #2 and draft Bradley..that dude is a 2nd coming of Wade! Hay, Ferry is here for 6yrs to INCREASE on what we have accomplished already WHILE making smart financial moves for the future at the same time. Moving JJ huge contract off the books would be a great accomplishment right there cause it can give us great cap space to get some top name free agents to the A-T-L. Moving Josh is just as great cause it then gives Teague room to be the future PG I envision him to become and it also give Horford his due position at PF. If giving the Bobcats both JJ and Josh is too much, then Give them JJ, Marvin & #23 and move Josh to the Rockets for a Center in Dalembert and a PG in Lowery. This would be the trades of the draft, in my book!!
Ray
June 27th, 2012
9:53 am
In no order
Draymond Green, Jeff Taylor, Andrew Nicholson, Moe Harkless some people said he can drop that far, and Festus.
O'Brien
June 27th, 2012
9:53 am
Some people get hung up on the Hawks center position. Who was the starting center for the Miami Heat (who just won the championship)? Who was the center for OKC? What was their numbers?
O'Brien
June 27th, 2012
9:56 am
MsDee,
That’s a bad deal for the Hawks. We would be left with Horford, Zaza, Marvin, #2 pick, #23 pick, and Teague.
Also, with Charlotte just trading for Ben Gordon, I dont think they want JJ. Also, Josh only has one year left on his deal, and will NOT resign with Charlotte, so I dont think they will take him either.
The only move I think Charlotte would take is Horford for #2. But I dont like that deal for the Hawks.
Ray
June 27th, 2012
9:57 am
You giving up too much @MsDee for an unproven draft choice although it’s known I don’t like Joe too much anymore I’m not willing to give him and Josh both away just for #2 and Bobcats don’t really have a whole lot on the roster I like.
Just Joe
June 27th, 2012
9:58 am
Our draft pick, assuming no trades, will likely be determined today when Lamb, Jenkins, and Fournier come in for one last workout.
Also, I like Darius Miller just as much as Jeff Taylor. Miller will be back in today as well.
Ra'mon
June 27th, 2012
10:00 am
AJ, they’re actually very similar in their shot selection. But Fournier is reportedly better in his passing and turn over numbers in a PROFESSIONAL league.
O’B, I think Josh looked at Sund and wondered why they didn’t trade Marvin for Shaq two seasons ago, when Cleveland wanted to do a sign and trade with Shaq for Marvin. But I am confident that Ferry will not enter the regular season with Marvin on the roster. And I would rather see the Hawks Amnesty Marvin’s contract and not end up paying much in luxury tax, than to keep Marvin and end up paying Luxury tax.
Astro Joe
June 27th, 2012
10:10 am
OB, sounds like you buy into the “Josh just wants to win” thing.
Vava, starts with the All-Defensive teams from the ACC, Big East, SEC, Big 12, Pac 12, etc. Find the best wing defenders from those lists and check their college film to ensure that they were playing man-to-man. Then, check and see if they were solid defenders in the NBA. Pretty simple. Did Afflalo play man-to-man at UCLA? If so, there is a sample. Tony Douglas was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, does he defend well with the Knicks? There’s another example. Shumpert at GA Tech, same Knicks team. Ronnie Brewer at Arkansas. Sorry, it wouldn’t take too much work to draw a conclusion one way or the other.
MsDee
June 27th, 2012
10:15 am
OB,
Thats why I also said, “If giving the Bobcats both JJ and Josh is too much, then Give them JJ, Marvin & #23 and move Josh to the Rockets for a Center in Dalembert and a PG in Lowery.”
U said, “That’s a bad deal for the Hawks. We would be left with Horford, Zaza, Marvin, #2 pick, #23 pick, and Teague.”
And thats why I said, “Moving JJ huge contract off the books would be a great accomplishment right there cause it can give us great cap space to get some top name free agents to the A-T-L.”
Just Joe
June 27th, 2012
10:15 am
Charlotte doesn’t have the cap space to do Al for #2 straight up, and I would not want any of their bad contracts. I think Sacramento at #5 is the first option to get in to the top 10.
MsDee
June 27th, 2012
10:16 am
But all in all, I hear what ya saying
MsDee
June 27th, 2012
10:17 am
Just Joe,
If we should get #5, who would u draft?
Ray
June 27th, 2012
10:17 am
The only reason I don’t want to draft a foreigner is because of our track record I’ll leave that to teams like Spurs and what not as they actually develop those players.
Unless we get a Head Coach that will developer these players instead of sitting them every chance he gets.
MsDee
June 27th, 2012
10:19 am
Im surprised we arent hearing any buzz around the league considering the fact that we are gonna have to do something b4 or on draft day for Ferry to show us Hawks fans he is serious about making some serious changes to this team and organization.
Just Joe
June 27th, 2012
10:22 am
MsDee….at 5, I’d have to take Drummond, or take MKG and see if I could trade back with Golden State for the 7 and 30, and then take Drummond at 7. It’s been too long since we’ve had a dominant big man. I’d take that chance, and then grab a shooter late in the draft.
Ra'mon
June 27th, 2012
10:24 am
MsDee, if you have #5, the choice is out of MKG and Waiters. However, I would stretch for the one guy I know has a high basketball IQ and grew up wanting to play for the Hawks, and draft Rivers. The guy is 6′5 and not afraid of the big shot or the big moment. He just seems to have that it factor where you just know he’s going to be a champion one day. Teague – Rivers – Joe would be so balance in skills set.
Astro Joe
June 27th, 2012
10:36 am
MsDee, and if Ferry doesn’t show Hawks fans anything in the next 36 hours, then what? Maybe Hawks fans shouldn’t expect big changes within 96 hours of a guy getting the job?
WVU HAWKS
June 27th, 2012
10:50 am
I think that this is the year to breakup the core and free up some cap space. The best trade chip we have is Josh Smith and if Houston wants him and is willing to give up their #14 and #18 pick for them, I so go for it. I also think that we try to trade Marvin to the Cavs for their #24 or #33 & #34 picks. Then we can start rebuilding this team via the draft and still have a competative team while doing so. The following is whom we could draft:
#14 – Meyers Leonard (C), Terrence Ross (SG/SF), Jereemy Lamd (SG), or Perry Jones III (SF/PF)
#18 – Terrence Jones (SF/PF), Kendall Marshall (PG), Moe Harkless (SF), Festus Ezeli (C), Andrew Nicholson (PF),
#23 – Daron Lamb (SG), Toney Worton Jr (PG), Jason Taylor (SF)
#33, #34, #43 – Quincy Miller (SF), John Jenkins (SG), Miles Plumlee (C), Kris Joseph (SF), Alex Young (SG/SF), Scott Machado (PG)
Example:
#14 – Leonard (C)
#18 – Terrence Jones (SF/PF)
#23 – Worton Jr (PG)
#33 – John Jenkins (SG),
#34 – Miles Plumlee (C),
#43 – Alex Young (SG/SF)
Starters:
PG – Teague
SG- Joe Johnson
SF – Terrence Jones
PF- Hofford
C- Leonard
Bench:
PG – Worton
SG – Jenkins and Lightly (FA)
SF- Young and FA
PF – I. Johnson and Benson
C – ZaZa and Plumlee
Young atheltic team and can grom together and still have leadership.
What do you think?
Many options in draft.
Ra'mon
June 27th, 2012
10:54 am
I wonder what it would take to get the 11th pick from Portland and to use it to draft Zeller. Portland have two lottery picks, and could very well be looking to trade the lower 1st round pick they have.
O'Brien
June 27th, 2012
10:56 am
AJ,
I think there is more to it than “Josh just wants to win”. But with a new GM (coming from the Spurs no less), and what sounds like ownership finally getting out of the way, and making some kind of commitment, there may be opportunities to work on some of the concerns Josh may have (besides just winning).
O'Brien
June 27th, 2012
10:58 am
Ra’mon,
What’s your take on the Dalembert and Lowry for Josh trade that somebody proposed?
BIG DOG
June 27th, 2012
11:02 am
You guys making some horrible decision with your trade, Hawks would be at the bottom back to 20 wins or less a season, I BE DAM.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE