Probably the biggest revelation to come out of these tryouts, and clearly one of the most well-rounded players in attendance, Tyshawn Taylor looks poised to emerge as the leader of the Under-19 World Championship bound team.
Fresh off dissecting this 2009 draft class to the Nth degree, it was hard not to come away seeing a lot Jrue Holiday in Taylor’s game. Although not freakishly long or strong, he has good size for either guard spot to go along with a very nice first step, and is an extremely versatile player on top of that.
Taylor stands out first and foremost for the work he does on the defensive end of the floor, which is not a surprise considering the coach he plays for. He is the type of player who is always around the ball, constantly in the mix for loose balls, and he takes a lot of pride in the effort he puts forth shutting down his man.
While clearly not a pure point guard at this point in time, Taylor shows good enough court vision that it wouldn’t be a stretch seeing him develop into a capable playmaker down the road. His feel for the game is excellent, and he’s a highly unselfish player who particularly shines with the patience he shows on the pick and roll. He rarely takes bad shots, is always willing to make the extra pass, and really does a nice job feeding the ball into the post or finding the open man on the drive and dish.
Offensively, Taylor clearly has room to improve on his all-around polish, especially in the half-court. His ball-handling skills are good, but not great, and his shot tends to get streaky from time to time. Despite this, he’s obviously capable of knocking down jumpers, both with his feet set or off the dribble. In transition he is very effective thanks to his excellent smarts and the great burst he shows on his first step.
Already a very effective player, despite having plenty of things he can still work on, Taylor’s upside looks significant. While he may have to take a back seat to Sherron Collins this season at Kansas, scouts will definitely look at him thoroughly as a prospect for 2010 or 2011.
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2010/PS. Notice who's projected at #4 overall and #22 overall.
