Where has Steve Taylor Been?

[Milwarriorkee]

The team looked completely different when STJ was in the game last night.  STJ has a nose for the ball, makes good passes and is not afraid to shoot.  He can improve defensively.   

One thing that has not made sense to me at all was why STJ was accumulating numerous DNPs as the season progressed. 

I know Buzz said it was due to injury, specifically his leg was not fully strengthened following off season surgery. 

But why, if he was injured, was he a starter at the beginning of the year?  Then he rides the bench, due what some thought would be a medical redshirt, only to see spot minutes in a couple of games.

And are we to believe he finally got healthy in the 48 hours between the Butler game and last night?  If that's the case, why did he not enter the game until very late in the first half (I believe 5:00 left)?

There are not enough minutes to give both Juan and STJ substantial playing time.  I believe that Buzz was being stubborn and giving the minutes to Juan because he practices the "right way."  If so, that decision hurt us and probably cost us some games as the offense is tremendously improved with STJ in the game.

He was the player I was most excited about this year after showing flashes as a freshman.  He is in a different stratosphere than Juan as a player, and should be given the majority of minutes at the 4 off the bench.  I am glad he finally got his chance last night, we certainly don't win without him.  I just wish it would not have taken so long, and am skeptical that the injury is the reason that it did.   

[tower912]

Steve was only cleared for full contact a week or two before the first game.   Buzz said he rewarded him with starting because he had been working so hard.   But there were setbacks in his recovery.    His shot was off, his rebounding was off, his defense, never stellar, got worse.   His playing time diminished.   Buzz flat out said that he was going to diminish his workload and let him recover.   Whether he could have or should have played against Butler is a subject worthy of debate.   But it was pretty clear that physically he feels good now.   It will be interesting to see going forward how Buzz handles him.    IMO, start him.   But why he has mostly sat for the last couple months is a pretty open book. 

[humanlung]

Watching last night, it was clear to me that Steve brings the toughness that I have been saying has been lacking all season.  That kid just gets after it and doesn't back down.

[PGsHeroes32]

I think what's great about him is how active he is. Him and Davante down low together is a load to handle and we become a much tougher team to guard.

What's great is even when he isn't getting a rebound, he's keeping the play alive by playing volleyball off the back board or tapping it out for someone else to grab. It's great.

Hopefully his D stays decent at worst so that he can continue getting consistent minutes.

[Milwarriorkee]

Last night I did not see any evidence of STJ looking injured.  If he was ready to play against Butler it was a mistake not to play him, IMO.  Could very well made the the difference.

And why wait until only 5min left in the first half to play him last night?  He was finally inserted into the game during the midst of a 5 minute long FG drought, and kudos to Buzz for trying something different.  I just don't get why, since he was clearly healthy, he sat for so long.

I think what it comes down to is, like DW, Juan is a "Buzz guy," and up until the drastic lineup change last night, that is why the minutes have been distributed the way they were.  

Whatever the issue was, hopefully its over and he continues to get the majority of minutes at the 4 off the bench.

The best lineup, IMO, is:

Dawson
Jake
Jamil
STJ
Gardner

Subs should be:

Derrick
Mayo
Burton
Otule

[jsglow]

Early in the year when Steve got his opportunities he didn't look at all like his 'old self'.  I chalked it up to his injury and the lost time over the summer/fall.  Buzz even commented on radio in December that Steve would be better off rehabbing for awhile.  I'm sure his physical health had improved by the Butler game but he simply didn't get his chance.  That came last night and for the first time this season I saw that confident kid reemerge.

His D still has a long way to go but the way he can control the glass, handle the ball, and score with efficiency around the rim and from 15 feet or so is special and something to look forward to.

[tower912]

I think Buzz wasn't going to give Taylor minutes until he was ready.   Again, we can debate the Butler game.    But I think that Buzz struggles to figure out how to use Taylor.   He is an agile 4.   Does he take minutes from Oxtule, does he take minutes from Jamil?   Can he play him next to Gardner with 3 guards out there?    Also, I think that Buzz does not consider Taylor's defense very good yet.  So he could get more minutes last night because Georgetown's bigs are not offensive threats and they played a lot of zone.   Can he guard an agile 3/4?   Can he guard the post?   Who can he guard against Nova?   How would he do against Dougie and Creighton?    Hey, I love Taylor's offensive game and am thrilled he looks healthy enough to contribute.   I am just trying to think like Buzz and figure out how to integrate him into the whole.  

[Nevada233]

Remember When Buzz said he was gonna intall the Offense.......

Insert Steve Taylor.... There we have it.....

SMART MOVE

[jesmu84]

I think STJ saw the court last night as a consequence of others' play last night as well as GTown D.

Juan looked TERRIBLE last night.
Jamil can play 3/4.
Burton didn't look good in limited minutes. Burton also may not be familiar with how Buzz wants to play against a zone D (as opposed to STJ playing in the past).
Otule doesn't have the ability to whip passes around quick enough against a zone nor is able to play the high post.
Mayo was having an off night, for the most part.
GTown's big men refuse to shoot jumpshots, so STJ wouldn't have to move around a lot on the defensive end.

So, after all that, who was left to play the 4 & 5 positions? Gardner and STJ. (it also helped that they both played extremely well, making the decision to keep them on the floor easier for Buzz)

[JakeBarnes]

Last night I did not see any evidence of STJ looking injured.  If he was ready to play against Butler it was a mistake not to play him, IMO.  Could very well made the the difference.

And why wait until only 5min left in the first half to play him last night?  He was finally inserted into the game during the midst of a 5 minute long FG drought, and kudos to Buzz for trying something different.  I just don't get why, since he was clearly healthy, he sat for so long.

I think what it comes down to is, like DW, Juan is a "Buzz guy," and up until the drastic lineup change last night, that is why the minutes have been distributed the way they were.  

Whatever the issue was, hopefully its over and he continues to get the majority of minutes at the 4 off the bench.

The best lineup, IMO, is:

Dawson
Jake
Jamil
STJ
Gardner

Subs should be:

Derrick
Mayo
Burton
Otule

It's likely that he didn't play against Butler because he wasn't ready. No real conspiracy behind it.

[connie]

I think Buzz wasn't going to give Taylor minutes until he was ready.   Again, we can debate the Butler game.    But I think that Buzz struggles to figure out how to use Taylor.   He is an agile 4.   Does he take minutes from Oxtule, does he take minutes from Jamil?   Can he play him next to Gardner with 3 guards out there?    Also, I think that Buzz does not consider Taylor's defense very good yet.  So he could get more minutes last night because Georgetown's bigs are not offensive threats and they played a lot of zone.   Can he guard an agile 3/4?   Can he guard the post?   Who can he guard against Nova?   How would he do against Dougie and Creighton?    Hey, I love Taylor's offensive game and am thrilled he looks healthy enough to contribute.   I am just trying to think like Buzz and figure out how to integrate him into the whole.  

That's probably a pretty dangerous thing to do.  I don't have an answer for this.  I am just glad that Steve stepped up last night.  This team really needed someone to bring some energy, aggression and scoring.  Steve and Dawson did that, and we won as a result.

[NickelDimer]

That Steve Taylor Jr last night was far different from every other minute we've seen him play this year.  It is a bit strange to think he suddenly felt 100% almost overnight. It's not even like he's gotten progressively better as the year's worn on.  He went from being a shell of who we saw last year, to an improved version of what we saw last year, seemingly in the blink of an eye.

Is it possible he received some sort of treatment for his knee?

[ZiggysFryBoy]

That Steve Taylor Jr last night was far different from every other minute we've seen him play this year.  It is a bit strange to think he suddenly felt 100% almost overnight. It's not even like he's gotten progressively better as the year's worn on.  He went from being a shell of who we saw last year, to an improved version of what we saw last year, seemingly in the blink of an eye.

Is it possible he received some sort of treatment for his knee?

Maybe Tiger's doc was in town, a'ina?

[MerrittsMustache]

It's likely that he didn't play against Butler because he wasn't ready. No real conspiracy behind it.

Exactly. There's a difference between being cleared to play and being ready to contribute.

[Sunbelt15]

STJ in the high post is the offense we should run EVERY time he's in the game.

[MU82]

It's likely that he didn't play against Butler because he wasn't ready. No real conspiracy behind it.

Nobody tried to claim it was a conspiracy, just that it was odd.

And I agree.

The lingering effect of Taylor's injury was so severe that he couldn't play one minute against Butler but 55 hours later he was so healthy that he could take over a Big East road game?

No conspiracy. It just doesn't make a lot of sense.

[Dawson Rental]

That Steve Taylor Jr last night was far different from every other minute we've seen him play this year.  It is a bit strange to think he suddenly felt 100% almost overnight. It's not even like he's gotten progressively better as the year's worn on.  He went from being a shell of who we saw last year, to an improved version of what we saw last year, seemingly in the blink of an eye.

Is it possible he received some sort of treatment for his knee?

His knee hasn't been a problem for some time.  The problem since the beginning of the season has been rebuilding (quadriceps?) muscle that had atrophied during his recovery from surgery and getting into game condition.

Steve seemed to be a consistent player last year, so I am very encouraged by his game yesterday and what that can mean to MU's improvement for the remainder of the season.

[jesmu84]

Nobody tried to claim it was a conspiracy, just that it was odd.

And I agree.

The lingering effect of Taylor's injury was so severe that he couldn't play one minute against Butler but 55 hours later he was so healthy that he could take over a Big East road game?

No conspiracy. It just doesn't make a lot of sense.

Individual matchups. Zone D by Gtown. Juan, Burton, Otule not playing well. Many factors could have led to STJ playing last night that weren't in effect against Butler.

[Dawson Rental]

I think Buzz wasn't going to give Taylor minutes until he was ready.   Again, we can debate the Butler game.    But I think that Buzz struggles to figure out how to use Taylor.   He is an agile 4.   Does he take minutes from Oxtule, does he take minutes from Jamil?   Can he play him next to Gardner with 3 guards out there?    Also, I think that Buzz does not consider Taylor's defense very good yet.  So he could get more minutes last night because Georgetown's bigs are not offensive threats and they played a lot of zone.   Can he guard an agile 3/4?   Can he guard the post?   Who can he guard against Nova?   How would he do against Dougie and Creighton?    Hey, I love Taylor's offensive game and am thrilled he looks healthy enough to contribute.   I am just trying to think like Buzz and figure out how to integrate him into the whole.  

You bring out good points about Steve being a work in progress defensively.  However, I surprised myself late in the game when Buzz took Steve out for a defensive substitution.  I remember thinking; "without Steve in there whose going to keep Georgetown from getting the rebound?"  I really think that he's Marquette's best defensive rebounder.

[Archies Bat]

Individual matchups. Zone D by Gtown. Juan, Burton, Otule not playing well. Many factors could have led to STJ playing last night that weren't in effect against Butler.

I suspect GT was not prepared for him.  They played zone to challenge us to shoot outside, and, based upon what they has previously seen, did not think DG/CO/JA/DB had the interior passing skills to beat the zone inside.  I suspect they were not ready for DG and STJ interior passing skills.

[Warrior1969]

Did JA, DB or CO play well against Butler, I must have missed it?

[Archies Bat]

Did JA, DB or CO play well against Butler, I must have missed it?

I'm still looking for where I said they did.

[Dawson Rental]

I'm still looking for where I said they did.

You kind of have to build warrior1969's argument by implication.  Actually, jesmu84 said that JA, DB or CO didn't play well against Georgetown and that was a factor in Steve getting time.   Steve didn't get time against Butler, therefore, those guys must have played well against Butler or Steve would have gotten in.  

I didn't see the Butler game, so I don't know if Butler played zone.  Warrior1969 doesn't address the point you and jesmu84 make about about Steve coming in to beat Georgetown's zone.

[Warrior1969]

ding ding

[JakeBarnes]

Nobody tried to claim it was a conspiracy, just that it was odd.

And I agree.

The lingering effect of Taylor's injury was so severe that he couldn't play one minute against Butler but 55 hours later he was so healthy that he could take over a Big East road game?

No conspiracy. It just doesn't make a lot of sense.

I would guess it had a lot more to do with proving in practice he knew what to do and when in terms of assignments rather than the knee itself.