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.
I’ve watched a Terry Taylor all summer down in Miami with @RemyTraining23 and in @MiamiProLeague_ . Taylor lost about 10 pounds this summer without losing any strength to become an even more mobile explosive wing. He has great instincts and a good touch. Strong in the paint. https://t.co/iI7nWwVZ0n
— MarkJonesESPN (@MarkJonesESPN) September 6, 2024
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.