Why Terry Taylor may crack the Sacramento Kings regular season roster

Mar 18, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Terry Taylor waits into the building before the game against the Miami Heat at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Mar 18, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Terry Taylor waits into the building before the game against the Miami Heat at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images / David Banks-Imagn Images
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On Friday, we discovered that the Sacramento Kings have agreed to a camp deal with soon-to-be fourth-year forward Terry Taylor.

As it stands, the Kings don't currently have a spot on their regular season roster for Taylor. But that's the beauty of camp deals. If Taylor looks good during training camp/preseason, the Kings can create a spot for Taylor to occupy.

But what are Taylor's chances of doing that? According to this Kings' insider, they are higher than you think.

Taylor Has Been Grinding This Offseason

Few media people are more well-connected than Mark Jones. Along with being one of our color commentators (along with Kyle Draper), he also calls games for ESPN. Thanks to his status in the industry, Jones knows numerous players and coaches around the league.

During the offseason, Jones spends a great deal of time in Miami, watching various athletes hone in their craft. This summer, one player he has seen put a lot of work in is Taylor. Look what he said in a quote tweet after Bleacher Report NBA Insider Chris Haynes broke the news.

Taylor has always been really good at leveraging his strength on the boards and in the paint. Jones believes that he has slimmed down in a way that allows him to continue to do this while also being more agile on the perimeter (something that was previously a weakness for him).

Taylor Can Give The Kings Something They Don't Have

Considering Taylor has never really played a big role for a team in his first three seasons in the NBA (he's never played more than 33 games in a season), I find it hard to envision him earning a spot on the Kings' roster.

However, I will say that he does theoretically give them something they desperately need: size. Taylor doesn't tout conventional size (6'5), but he plays big (never finished lower than 86th percentile in offensive rebounding rate, per Dunks & Threes) and has a pterodactyl-like wingspan (6'11.5). Last season, Taylor spent 100% of his minutes playing either power forward or center (per Basketball Reference).

Taylor isn't the perfect role player, but he would give the Kings a little more size than they currently have. So, if he has a strong showing in training camp, I don't mind the Kings making room on their team for him.

Coincidentally enough, Taylor spent last year playing on the Chicago Bulls with our prized free agent addition DeMar DeRozan. Before playing for the Bulls, Taylor spent a season and a half with the Indiana Pacers.

Next. Untouchables. 4 Untouchable Sacramento Kings players in offseason trade talks. dark