Kings Sign Terry Taylor to Camp Deal

Chris Haynes reports the Sacramento Kings are signing Terry Taylor to a training camp deal.

Jan 3, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Terry Taylor (32) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

According to NBA Insider Chris Haynes, the Sacramento Kings have signed forward Terry Taylor to a camp deal.

Sources: Free agent guard Terry Taylor has reached an agreement on a camp deal with the Sacramento Kings. pic.twitter.com/5h3v9baqnF

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) September 6, 2024

The 24-year-old wing stands at 6-foot-5 but has a 6-foot-11 wingspan, fitting the mold of players that GM Monte McNair has been signing this offseason. McNair has shown a type this offseason; players with lengthy wingspans. As a team that struggled against lengthy opponents last season, that’s a clear weakness for the Kings to address.

Taylor plays bigger than his height suggests, with 65 percent of his minutes coming at power forward and 35 percent at center, according to Basketball Reference. That fits the Kings' needs well, as they are thin behind DeMar DeRozan and Keegan Murray, especially with Kevin Huerter’s timeline still up in the air.

Kevin Huerter injury update. He’s been cleared for on-court workouts, but needs to clear another hurdle in mid-October. pic.twitter.com/KDkbJ3SRFw

— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) August 30, 2024

He gives a different look than Trey Lyles. Last season the Kings had Lyles and Sasha Vezenkov to fill the backup spots, and the two were almost too similar in style to play together. Having Lyles and Taylor would give the Kings different player archetypes to fill the role.

Taylor reunites with former teammate DeMar DeRozan, as both were members of the Chicago Bulls the past two seasons. He played in 31 games last season, averaging 1.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.3 assists across 6.1 minutes.

He did almost all of his scoring inside, with 16 of his 20 made field goals coming in the restricted area. He only attempted nine three-point attempts last season, making two of them for a 22.2 percent clip. Unless he vastly improves his perimeter shooting, Taylor would likely function in the dunker’s spot and get points from cutting or cleaning up the glass.

That role is important for a team with scorers such as De’Aaron Fox, DeRozan, Malik Monk, Domantas Sabonis, and Keegan. The Kings don’t need scoring, they need players who can affect the game in ways other than scoring.

Terry Taylor fakes a three and gets the easy bucket ✅ pic.twitter.com/2CIXHCxfU1

— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) April 2, 2024

Taylor proved he could do that last year, as he posted a +4.7 on/off net rating last season, meaning the Bulls' net rating was 4.7 better when he was on the court. He had a huge impact on the defensive side of the ball.

The Bulls' defensive rating with Taylor off the court was 115.9. When he was on the court, that number plummeted to 104.4. It’s by no means a perfect stat, but it shows that he impacted the game in the limited minutes he played last season, which is all you ask for players at the end of the bench.

The Kings have been searching for a player to protect the paint in a weakside defender-type role. Taylor has the athleticism to fill that need. He’s exactly the type of player to take a flier on going into a season.

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