NBA Draft Insider

College: Wisconsin

Birthday: 09/30/1989

NBA Position: PG

Class: Senior

Ht: 6-1

Wt: 195

Wingspan: 6-3.5

Hometown: Bloomington, MN

High School: Benilde-St. Margaret

Ceiling:

Basement:

NBA Comparison:

Strengths:

• Strength
• Pure Point Guard
• Basketball IQ
• Quality defender
• Improved shooter

Weaknesses:

• Athleticism
• Lateral Quickness
• Top End Speed

Analysis:

The Jordan Taylor Report - 01/29/2012

The most efficient player in the history of college basketball (arguably and statistically) is the 6-1, 195 lbs. senior point guard for Wisconsin. Over the past four seasons Jordan Taylor has put together a body of work that is matched by very few.

He fits the Bo Ryan system better than maybe any player that has ever played at Wisconsin which is a good and bad thing. Under Ryan the Badgers have won many games and been very consistent producing some of the nation’s best college players. On the same hand he has not produced many NBA talents.

Ryan’s best prospect ever would easily be former point guard Devin Harris who is currently in the NBA starting for the Utah Jazz. Both players have similar qualities while in college as efficient game managers that did not turn the ball over. Harris is a more athletic guard, which makes that comparison mute due to Taylor’s minimal athletic ability.

Taylor does not jump off the page at you statistically averaging 13.85 PPG and 4.3 APG as a full-time player on the Badgers. The system that he is in does not allow for the creativity that other point guards are able to display on the court. His main job is to run the sets and make decisions late in the shot-clock.

The numbers do not overwhelm, but he is playing his role to perfection. At all times Taylor is in control of his game and the Badgers gameplan. He rarely needs to, or chooses to freestyle or go after his own numbers. Taylor has a great poker face that says “slow and steady” at all times which allows him to attack defenses when they least expect it.

As a scorer Taylor has a limited game because the previously mentioned restriction of freedom. Much of his offense comes from establishing his three-point shot, typically late in shot-clocks or in key situations. Taylor is generally a high percentage shooter from deep (36.8%) and the field (40.1%) for his career. Because Wisconsin’s offense is a fine tuned machine Taylor has the ball in his hands a lot with 5-7 seconds on the clock a lot when the offense is stifled.

His jump shot has a high, slow release that is fluid in nature. The slow draw is not a good trait due to his lack of natural size (6-1) and length. Taylor also does not get very high off the ground when shooting the ball making his shot very guardable at the next level.

Beyond shooting Taylor is limited as a scorer. He has a quality handle that can get him past the initial wave of the defense, but will struggle at the next level finishing over the defense with his size and lack of explosiveness.  He is strong enough to back his defender down a few feet then make a play for others, but not often for himself. His strength allows him to bang down low and create space.

He is not an elite scorer by any means and at times is very limited when his shot is not falling. The threat of his shot sets up his ability to get into the paint to use his unconventional strength to finish.

The lack of elite athletic ability will be the biggest obstacle to overcome for Taylor at the next level. The first step, explosiveness and end-to-end speed are just not on the level of the elite NBA point guards.

Most of Taylor’s offense comes from setting up others. He is not a dynamic passer or elite athlete so the highlights are scarce, but the quality is there. His court vision is very good keeping his head up and alert to make plays at all times. Taylor is aware of where his teammates are at all times and where they want the ball. He does a good job spotting shooters and putting the ball on their hands.

For his career Taylor has a 3.39:1.04 assist-to-turnover ratio over his career which will likely go down as the best in NCAA D1 history. He rarely turns the ball over (119 in 114 games) playing with poise, patience and a calm that many do not have. He is not an emotional player which allows him to forget mistakes (when they happen) and stick to the gameplan. His high basketball IQ is what can be attributed to those stats and his success to date.

The efficiency numbers can be a little misleading due the amount of time Taylor is actually in possession of the ball. Late in the shot clock the ball is in his hands, but most plays the ball is being moved around in the motion for 20-24 seconds before a shot or a pass back to Taylor. He does not handle the ball as much as other point guards such as Scott Machado, Kendall Marshall or Casper Ware. A very high percentage player, but while playing on a very percentage oriented team with a system that dictates tempo and pace, one might call that a “system point guard.”

On defense Taylor is built like a pit-bull. He has the upper body strength to contend with stronger, bigger guards in the post and plants his feet well. Taylor moves well in team defense and making switches and not allowing his man to get clean looks. His man-to-man defense is above average, but his combination of size and speed will make it tough to hang elite guards at the next level.

This season the production has dipped significantly on offense in points and percentages across the board. That has more to do with the departure of Jon Leuer than the efforts of Taylor. At the end of the day Taylor is a great game manager that plays with efficiency and control. He will not be a volume scorer anytime soon, but knows how to play the point guard position within a structured system. Projected as a role player (bench player) at the next level it is important for Taylor to remain efficient, that is a trait invaluable to teams looking for quality and winning players.