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Charlotte Hornets: Jeffery Taylor Picks Overseas Over NBA

By Andrew Kennedy

Dec 8, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) drives on Charlotte Hornets small forward Jeffery Taylor (44) using power forward Tim Duncan (21) pick during the first half at Time Warner Arena. Mandatory Credit: Curtis Wilson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 8, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) drives on Charlotte Hornets small forward Jeffery Taylor (44) using power forward Tim Duncan (21) pick during the first half at Time Warner Arena. Mandatory Credit: Curtis Wilson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Officially cross Jeffery Taylor’s name off the Charlotte Hornets’ depth chart. Cross him off any NBA team’s.

The Swedish-born Vanderbilt product spent three years with the organization before Charlotte decided not to extend a qualifying offer, making Taylor an unrestricted free agent this summer.

This week it was reported that Taylor would not be reaching a deal with the Hornets or any NBA team.

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Taylor ended up backing out of a deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv, who Taylor had expressed willingness with to make the jump overseas in pursuit of a star role. According to Pick, the deal was two years and worth $600,000.

Negotiations have shifted to another Euroleague powerhouse, Real Madrid.

Bottom line, Taylor will not be in Charlotte next season.

In three years with the Hornets, he averaged just 6.1 points in 19.4 minutes per game. His best season was as a rookie in 2012-13, playing in 77 games, starting 29 and shooting 34.4 percent from beyond the arc. He saw those 3-point shooting numbers drop in his next two seasons, shooting 26.9 and 30.6 percent, respectively.

This past season was rough for Taylor on and off the court. He began it by serving a 24-game suspension after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor domestic-violence charge in Michigan and then just appeared in 29 games for the Hornets.

Taylor had appealing size to become a 3-and-D guy in the NBA but the outside shooting never reached what it needed to be. He’ll now be able to take a step in and see if he can realize his star potential in Europe.

With the additions Charlotte made this summer, there was really no more room for Taylor. The Hornets have a trio of small forwards in Nicolas Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marvin Williams that will occupy a lot of minutes at the 3 and the 4 when the team goes small.

The Hornets also traded for Jeremy Lamb, who was a rookie the same year as Taylor and a bit more accomplished and certainly holding more potential. Then there are still the likes of P.J. Hairston, Troy Daniels and Aaron Harrison, all of which are more intriguing than Taylor.

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