FanPost

Would We Trade the 18th pick for Thabo Sefolosha?

If the answer is yes, how can we not use the 18th pick on Jeffery Taylor, who is considered the second coming of Thabo by nearly everyone? Biggest difference between them is that one is Swiss, the other Swedish.

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

http://www.pistonpowered.com/2012/05/detroit-pistons-draftdreams-jeff-taylor/

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/jeffery-taylor

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1220855-2012-nba-draft-5-underrated-players-and-their-nba-comparisons/page/2

From NBADraft.net - NBA Comparison: Thabo Sefolosha/Wilson Chandler

Strengths: Has some of the best physical tools of an any wing prospect in the 2012 class … Stands at 6’7 and weighs just under 230 lbs, and is put together very nicely, with his muscle being evenly placed throughout his upper and lower body … On top of being physically mature, Taylor is also a high-level athlete who is very fast for his size and a powerful leaper who likes to take off on 2 feet … Strong finisher who has highlight-reel caliber athleticism, but is much more likely to finish with a safe, and often powerful, 2-hand jam than he is to try a fancy dunk … Runs the floor extremely well, and can beat the entire defense down the floor for easy buckets at times … Taylor is best on offense when he can move without the ball to find open spots to get high percentage looks around the basket … Will make a big man pay if they aren’t aware of him on the weakside … You have to watch out for him on baseline slashes … Is effective on straight line slashes to the rim, where his quick step, strength, long strides and athleticism allow him to be effective on his way to the hoop … Improved his jump shot nicely in his 4 years at Vandy … Came to college with no 3 point range, and took steps forward in each of his seasons, being a 42% shooter from deep as a Sr. on more than 4 attempts a night … Also got better from mid-range as his career progressed … Has high-level potential on the defensive end, and his defense could be where his most value as a prospect lies … Is versatile on this end, and defended everything except C when at Vandy…Is very fundamentally sound and moves his feet very well … Has the size to defend SG’s and a lot of the bigger SF’s in time … Was arguably the best defending wing in the SEC last season, even though Kentucky’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist got most of the pub … Always contests shots … Is great at knowing when to gamble for passing lane steals and when to just play solid defense against his man … Solid passer, who is unselfish and plays within the scheme … Doesn’t play outside of his role, and seems to be an unselfish teammate … Has some ability to post up due to playing extended time at the PF spot for Vandy, and isn’t bad in these instances with a basic jump hook … Rebounds pretty well on the wing on both ends, but particularly offensively … Improved very steadily over his career, developing everything from his jump shot to even his body … Could be better in an up-tempo style than at a slower pace like Vandy played … Extremely productive player for Vandy, who was on the All-SEC 1st Team as a Sr., and 2nd Team as a Soph. and Jr … Started every game except 1 during his Vandy career, a testament to his durability and value to the program ...

Weaknesses: The biggest chink in Taylor’s arsenal is clearly his ball-handling ability … Struggles with change of direction dribbles, and was used in these instances a bit too much for Vandy which magnified it a bit more than it probably should’ve been … Shouldn’t be asked to take more than 2 or 3 dribbles offensively to be at his best … Very reliant on his strong (right) hand … Although Taylor is a great athlete, he is a bit mechanical with the ball in his hands … Even with his jump being a weapon for him his last 2 seasons, teams will want to see how he adjusts to the deeper NBA range and prove that he is respectable with his shot … Mediocre mid-range game … Has a history of disappearing from games at bad times and having shaky confidence and aggression … Physically gifted, but has a 6’6 wingspan and seemingly small hands at 6’7, which is subpar for his size and may make him play a hair smaller than he actually is … Doesn’t project to be more than a 4th option scorer at best whenever he’s on the floor ...

Overall: Overall, Taylor is still a work in progress offensively and probably will never develop into a high level scorer … But he is physically gifted, a great athlete, and he understands his limitations as a player and is real efficient … His ability to play in transition and score without having the ball a lot will help him as a role player, especially with the right PG and scheme, and he is as good a perimeter defender in the class potentially … He had a decorated career and a bunch of experience, so he could get on the floor some as a rookie … Legit chance to be a 1st round pick, but could drop to the 2nd and be a nice value pick for a team who needs size, athleticism and defense on the perimeter ...