Has Terry Taylor done enough to warrant minutes for the Pacers moving forward?

While the Indiana Pacers’ bright spots this season have probably been only a handful, the team has once again done a great job searching for talent in places where no one else would even dare to take a peek.

Terry Taylor, an undersized 6’5 forward in his rookie year, has been a tremendous two-way signee so far. Filling in for the Pacers’ injury-laden lineup, the Austin Peay product has surprised a lot of people, amassing eye-popping numbers despite bagging limited minutes still. In 19 minutes per contest, Taylor has logged 9.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Not bad for an undrafted rookie, huh.

But beyond the numbers, what has been the most impressive about Taylor’s game is his movement off the ball and finishing ability. With the coaching staff utilizing him as a big man in essence, the rookie has managed to cope with his lack of stature against opposing bigs by being on the right place at the right time.

Should Terry Taylor be a part of the Indiana Pacers’ rotation moving forward?

Terry Taylor may not be the biggest for his position, but his vertical and strength cannot be downplayed. In pick-and-roll situations, he has shown a knack for knowing where to be to make himself available for the pass, instead of just crashing aggressively to try and finish plays.

He has particularly shown some chemistry with Tyrese Haliburton, who has easily been the Pacers’ best playmaker. Look at this sequence as Taylor makes an impromptu decision to fake a screen and slip into the gap for free points before flushing it down on Kyle Kuzma:

On the heels of a double screen, he once again seeks the gap and makes himself available for the lob pass, an utmost rarity on the Indiana Pacers playbook before this year:

Part of this, of course, is on Washington’s frail defense, but Taylor deserves credit on his part for recognizing the open space and taking advantage of the defense’s laser-focused attention on the ball handler. Not a lot of rookies have that instinct.

Some rookies are content with simply making themselves open for a perimeter shot and avoiding to do too much, and only a few actually takes advantage of the spacing by hunting for more efficient shots. This is where Taylor’s court instincts have been pleasantly surprising, especially as the Pacers move toward a new style of play headed by the youngsters.

If you would ask me, I would love for Terry Taylor to be in Indiana’s youth movement core. Even with a limited sample size, he has already proven why he belongs in the league and why he should be in the running to log more minutes eventually.

The Pacers may have a logjam in their cards as they welcome back their injured players, but for now, keeping him cemented in his role will be huge for his development while the team makes best use of his skills.

With the likes of TJ Warren, Myles Turner, Jalen Smith and Goga Bitadze all having questionable futures with the franchise, the Indiana Pacers may not brood too much if they ultimately lose one or more of them, especially if they continue finding hidden gems like Terry Taylor.