Jeffery Taylor, Senior, Small Forward, Vanderbilt
Overview:
Before even suiting up for Vanderbilt prior to his freshman campaign, Jeffery Taylor gained some valuable experience as part of the Under-20 Swedish National Team. His success in that tournament propelled him to have a very productive 2008-2009 season with the Commodores. Taylor was just one of two players on the team to start every game and he proved to be a versatile small forward, averaging 12.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
As a sophomore Taylor continued to be a multi-faceted scorer, averaging 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds on the year. However, his outside shooting was quite poor, but it would only take a year before that changed. As a junior Taylor added the long ball to his scoring repertoire. He only connected on 34.5 percent of his 3.3 attempts per game from beyond the arc, but compared to his sophomore season when Taylor rarely even attempted a three-pointer, that is a lot of growth.
Final Projection:
With more growth on his outside shot, Taylor will be a dynamic scorer who can also do a little bit of everything else. He may not be the best rebounding small forward in this draft class, but he will not be the worst either. The same can be said for his passing ability and defense. As long as Taylor continues to develop his outside shot, his solid all-around game will warrant first round consideration during the 2012 NBA Draft.
5/31/12 Update by Dan Levine
Taylor was Mr. Reliable for Vanderbilt, the last team to beat Kentucky during the 2011-2012 season. He was an outstanding contributor for four years and a great floor leader. He averaged over 16 points per game in his senior year. He was approaching 50% shooting from the floor. He will be a great addition to any franchise. He should go somewhere late in the lottery.
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