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Jeffery Taylor

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For other people with similar names, see Jeffrey Taylor (disambiguation).

Jeffery Taylor
Taylor with Real Madrid in November 2017.
No. 44 – Wolves Twinsbet
PositionSmall forward
LeagueLithuanian Basketball League
EuroCup
Personal information
Born (1989-05-23) May 23, 1989 (age 35)
Norrköping, Sweden
NationalityAmerican / Swedish
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolHobbs (Hobbs, New Mexico)
CollegeVanderbilt (2008–2012)
NBA draft2012: 2nd round, 31st overall pick
Selected by the Charlotte Bobcats
Playing career2012–present
Career history
2012–2015Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets
2014–2015→Austin Spurs
2015–2022Real Madrid
2022–presentVilnius Wolves
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Jeffery Matthew Taylor (born May 23, 1989)[1] is a Swedish-American professional basketball player for Wolves Twinsbet of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroCup. He played college basketball for Vanderbilt University, before being drafted 31st overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2012 NBA draft.

High school career

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Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Taylor was listed as the No. 10 small forward and the No. 52 player in the nation in 2008.[2]

College career

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After Taylor's freshman season of 2008–09, DraftExpress.com said, "One of the most pleasant surprises in last season’s mediocre SEC [Southeastern Conference] was the emergence of Vanderbilt freshman Jeff Taylor."[3] He averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds[4] on his way to SEC All-Freshman honors.[5] However, he showed one weakness in an otherwise solid season by shooting only 22 percent from three-point range.[6]

His sophomore season saw some progress, but also some cause for concern; one scout said near the end of the season, "while he is improved in many areas, he has regressed in some as well."[7] Taylor improved his scoring average to 13.3 per game, but his rebounding dropped slightly to 5.2 per game.[4] The most obvious issue was his perimeter shooting, which saw a decline; he attempted only 11 three-pointers and made only one.[6] Nonetheless, he was named to the All-SEC second team by the league's coaches, and was also named to the SEC All-Defensive Team.[8]

In 2010–11, he further established his reputation as a defensive stopper, frequently being called on to defend every position on the floor except center[9] while again being named to the SEC All-Defensive Team.[10] Taylor also improved his three-point shooting to a more respectable 34.5%[11] while attempting more than twice as many shots from behind the arc as in his first two seasons combined.[4] Averaging 14.7 points and 5.5 rebounds, he was again named second-team All-SEC.[10]

Taylor was widely viewed as a potential early entry into the 2011 NBA draft, based mainly on his athleticism and defensive skills.[6][12] However, he decided to stay at Vanderbilt for his senior season in 2011–12. His decision to return, along with those of fellow stars John Jenkins and Festus Ezeli, made the Commodores a likely preseason top-10 pick.[13][14][15]

Professional career

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Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (2012–2015)

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Taylor was selected with 31st overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Charlotte Bobcats. On July 13, 2012, he signed his first professional contract with the Bobcats.[16]

On November 23, 2012, Taylor scored a career high 16 points in a 91–101 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.[17]

On December 21, 2013, it was announced that Taylor would miss the remainder of the season with a torn right Achilles tendon.[18] He had been averaging 8.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game.[19]

After serving out his 24-game suspension by the NBA that was handed down to him in September 2014 for assaulting his girlfriend, Taylor was set to return to action with a stint in the NBA Development League with the Hornets' affiliate team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.[20] However, with the maximum allowance of four NBA players already being on assignment to the Mad Ants, the flexible assignment rule was used on December 28, 2014, so the Hornets could assign Taylor to the Austin Spurs, the San Antonio Spurs' one-to-one D-League affiliate.[21] He was recalled by the Hornets on January 9, 2015.[22]

On June 30, 2015, the Hornets decided not to extend a qualifying offer to Taylor, thus making him an unrestricted free agent.[23]

Real Madrid (2015–2022)

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On August 27, 2015, Taylor signed a one-year deal with the Spanish team Real Madrid.[24]

In May 2018, Real Madrid won the 2017–18 EuroLeague championship, after defeating Fenerbahçe Doğuş in the final game with 85–80.[25] Over 34 EuroLeague games, Taylor averaged 5.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

BC Wolves (2022–present)

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On December 23, 2022, Taylor signed with BC Wolves of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) until the end of the 2022–23 season.[26] On May 24, 2023, Taylor renewed his contract with the Lithuanian club through 2025, with an option for an additional year.[27]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Charlotte 77 29 19.6 .431 .344 .728 1.9 .8 .6 .2 6.1
2013–14 Charlotte 26 8 24.2 .376 .269 .553 2.3 .8 .5 .2 8.0
2014–15 Charlotte 29 13 14.8 .395 .306 .634 1.8 .8 .4 .2 4.4
Career 132 50 19.4 .409 .319 .665 2.0 .8 .5 .2 6.1

EuroLeague

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† Denotes seasons in which Taylor won the EuroLeague
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2015–16 Real Madrid 25 3 15.2 .473 .323 .611 2.1 .5 .2 .1 4.3 2.6
2016–17 30 22 15.5 .500 .392 .667 1.8 .5 .4 .1 4.6 3.6
2017–18† 34 23 20.6 .419 .352 .700 1.9 1.2 .5 .1 5.9 4.7
2018–19 34 22 18.2 .534 .448 .630 1.6 1.4 .3 .1 5.6 4.9
2019–20 24 14 18.6 .444 .393 .667 2.1 1.3 .4 .1 4.8 3.9
2020–21 32 14 14.8 .430 .265 .750 1.5 .5 .4 .1 3.6 2.0
2021–22 23 8 13.1 .466 .405 .750 1.2 .7 .3 .1 3.3 2.1
Career 202 106 16.8 .466 .373 .681 1.7 .9 .4 .1 4.6 3.5

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Vanderbilt 31 31 26.0 .502 .220 .691 6.2 1.7 .9 .4 12.2
2009–10 Vanderbilt 33 33 26.8 .493 .091 .746 5.2 1.7 1.1 .4 13.3
2010–11 Vanderbilt 34 33 31.7 .449 .345 .719 5.5 2.4 1.0 .6 14.7
2011–12 Vanderbilt 36 36 32.1 .493 .423 .605 5.6 1.7 1.3 .4 16.1

International career

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Taylor participated in the 2013 edition of the EuroBasket. It was his first official appearance with the Swedish senior squad. He was Sweden's top scorer, averaging 21.2 points per game, along with 4.6 rebounds per game.[28]

Personal life

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Taylor is the second-oldest[1] of the six children of Jeff Taylor, who briefly played in the NBA before playing in Sweden, where he lived until his death.[29] While the younger Taylor is a citizen of both Sweden and the United States by birth, he played for Norrköping Dolphins youth team, and has lived in the U.S. since 2006, he has said, "...if someone asks where I'm from, I say Sweden." However, he grew up steeped in the basketball culture of Hobbs, New Mexico, where his father was a high school star in the late 1970s:

I just always wanted to be a Hobbs High School Eagle. It’s kind of a thing I always grew up with. I heard stories about their crowds and stuff like that.[29]

Taylor left Sweden for Hobbs in 2006, at the age of 17, moving in with his grandmother. Besides his desire to play at his father's alma mater, he determined that playing high school basketball in America would enhance his college basketball prospects.[29] He quickly drew major interest from NCAA Division I programs, especially after a senior season when he averaged more than 30 points while leading Hobbs to a state title.[29][30]

Taylor, named one of the top 150 recruits in the country by ESPN, considered about a half-dozen schools before narrowing his choices to Vanderbilt and Texas, eventually choosing Vanderbilt. He was one of three top-150 recruits signed by Commodores head coach Kevin Stallings in 2008.[29]

Assault

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On September 25, 2014, Taylor was arrested at a hotel in East Lansing, Michigan, charged with one count of domestic assault, assault, and malicious destruction of property.[31][32] He was later suspended by the NBA for 24 games without pay after he pleaded guilty to the charges.[33] He also received a one-year suspension from the Swedish national team.[34]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Jeffery Taylor Bio". VUCommodores.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  2. ^ Jeffrey Taylor Recruiting Profile
  3. ^ Givony, Jonathan; Nelson, Kyle (September 18, 2009). "Top NBA Draft Prospects in the SEC (Part One: #1-5)". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Jeffery Taylor Profile". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  5. ^ "Ogilvy, Taylor Named All-SEC" (Press release). Vanderbilt University Athletics. March 10, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  6. ^ a b c Brennan, Eamonn (June 28, 2011). "Letters From Camp: Jeffery Taylor from 3?". College Basketball Nation Blog. ESPN.com. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  7. ^ Nelson, Kyle (March 18, 2010). "NCAA Weekly Performers, 3/18/10". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  8. ^ "Coaches' All-SEC Team Commodore-laden" (Press release). Vanderbilt University Athletics. March 9, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  9. ^ Givony, Jonathan (March 18, 2011). "Trending Prospects (3/18/2011)". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  10. ^ a b "2011 SEC Men's Hoops Awards Announced" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 8, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  11. ^ Brennan, Eamonn (August 9, 2011). "Summer Buzz: Vanderbilt Commodores". College Basketball Nation Blog. ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  12. ^ "NBA Prospect Profile: Jeff Taylor". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  13. ^ Bergeron, Elena (August 9, 2011). "CBB Summer Buzz: Vanderbilt". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 20, 2011. (full article behind paywall; cited information in free preview)
  14. ^ Katz, Andy (August 9, 2011). "Festus Ezeli continues to learn the game". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  15. ^ Vitale, Dick (July 26, 2011). "Dickie V Preseason Top 40: Top 10". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  16. ^ "Jeffery Taylor Player Profile, Charlotte Hornets - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.
  17. ^ "Notebook: Hawks 101, Bobcats 91". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  18. ^ "Jeffery Taylor Injury Update". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014.
  19. ^ "Jeff Taylor Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more". Basketball-Reference.com.
  20. ^ McCann, Michael (November 21, 2014). "Jeff Taylor's domestic violence case presents a compelling legal debate". Sports Illustrated.
  21. ^ "Hornets Assign Jeffery Taylor To Austin Spurs of NBA D-League". www.nba.com.
  22. ^ "Hornets Recall Jeffery Taylor From Austin Spurs". www.nba.com.
  23. ^ "Charlotte Hornets will not give Jeffery Taylor a qualifying offer, will become an unrestricted free agent". Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  24. ^ "Official Announcement: Jeffery Taylor". realmadrid.com. December 5, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  25. ^ "Real Madrid is 2018 EuroLeague champion". euroleague.net. May 20, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  26. ^ "Euroleague champion joins BC Wolves". bcwolves.com. December 23, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  27. ^ "Jeffery Taylor stays for at least two more years". bcwolves.com. May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  28. ^ "Player profile EuroBasket 2013".
  29. ^ a b c d e "New hoops recruit ready to get started at Vandy". Nashville City Paper. April 22, 2008. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  30. ^ "Jag vill ha mer respekt" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. August 22, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  31. ^ "Jeff Taylor arrested for assault". ESPN. September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  32. ^ "Hornets Small Forward Jeff Taylor Charged With Domestic Assault". Deadspin. September 26, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  33. ^ "Hornets forward's suspension totals 24 games". ESPN.com. November 19, 2014.
  34. ^ "Sweden suspend NBA star over assault charge - The Local". Archived from the original on November 23, 2014.
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