Previously: Houston Kessler
Previously: Dusan Langura
Previously: Brandon Young
Taylor Echols
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| Photo Credit: USA Today |
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 160
Position: G
Year: Senior
Role: Steady As She Goes
2013-14 Points/Rebounds/Assists Per Game: 1.7/.5/.4
Overview: Taylor Echols hit a 3-pointer in Rupp Arena, and no one can ever take that away from him.
He made the team via open tryouts before the 2012-13 season, and if you make a Division 1 college basketball team via open tryouts and end up hitting a 3-pointer in Rupp Arena, that's something you can tell your grandchildren in 50 years while you're bouncing them on your knee.
"The final score? Well, I'm getting old...I just can't remember...I think we won by 3."
There was more, though. Taylor hit ten more 3-pointers last season (interestingly, all but one of those was at Stegeman), including 3 in the same game against Lipscomb while filling in for an injured Charles Mann. That's good for 33 points. Once you add in all of his other scoring, that gets Taylor to...33 points scored last season.
Yes, he's a specialist. In fact, of the 33 shots Echols took last year, only 2 of them came from inside the arc. I'm fine with this. If you're the third point guard off the bench, running the offense and hitting some threes is a fantastic way to earn your minutes. Be steady. Be predictable.
Taylor's minutes took a hit as the season wore on and J.J. Frazier began to come into his own as Charles Mann's primary backup. I would expect that trend to continue into this season, so I don't think there will be a huge opportunity for him to earn more minutes. Instead, he will have to maximize whatever minutes he gets.
Expectations: More of the same. I don't see Taylor's minutes changing a whole lot, so I expect his stats to look almost identical this season. Foul trouble or an injury at the 2 (where he could play if needed) could certainly change that, but those things are obviously impossible to project. I have noted this with other players, but the best way for Taylor to get on the court is to find and make open threes. It is hard to keep a guy on the bench when they present a clear and present danger from the 3-point line.
Area For Improvement: Taylor's assist-to-turnover ratio is just south of 1. Georgia won't need flashy plays from him, but not turning the ball over should be his primary mission when he's in the game.
2014-15 Stats I Could Get Excited About: 1.1/.3/.6 points/rebounds/assists per game. .3 turnovers or less per game sweetens the pot.
Things I Learned About Taylor From GeorgiaDogs.com: The San Antonio Spurs are his favorite team. See? Steady, steady, steady.
Let's go Taylor, and let's go Dawgs!
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