Jordan Taylor will play for the Atlanta Hawks’ team in the NBA’s Summer League that starts later this month in Las Vegas.
The former Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School and University of Wisconsin point guard last week was leaning toward accepting an offer to play for the Milwaukee Bucks’ entry in the Summer League, but he decided to accept one from the Hawks instead.
Part of the reason he chose the Hawks over the Bucks was that Atlanta’s first game in Las Vegas is July 13, three days before the Bucks begin play. Taylor figures the earlier he can begin making an impression, the better.
“I kind of want to get out there and play,” Taylor said Monday morning, July 2.
Taylor said he and his agent, former NBA player B.J. Armstrong, decided “it didn’t really make a huge deal where you go play Summer League. You’re a free agent, and if a team is going to like you, then they can still pick you up. I guess it doesn’t matter a ton.”
Taylor hopes to play well enough in Las Vegas to earn an invite to some team’s training camp. If that doesn’t happen, he says, he’ll pursue opportunities overseas.
The Hawks weren’t one of the 11 teams that brought in Taylor for a workout leading up to last week’s NBA draft. But Taylor did work out with the San Antonio Spurs, whose vice president of basketball operations at the time was Danny Ferry; shortly thereafter, Atlanta hired Ferry as general manager.
Taylor said he will leave for Atlanta on Thursday. The Hawks’ five-game schedule in Las Vegas includes matchups against the Washington Wizards on July 13, the Spurs on July 15, the Boston Celtics on July 16, the Dallas Mavericks on July 18 and the Portland Trail Blazers on July 19.
“I’m going to go down there in the best shape possible and try to show what I can do,” Taylor said.
