Memphis Basketball: JJ Taylor commits to Tigers, Penny Hardaway

On3 Consensus four-star recruit JJ Taylor has committed to Memphis.

Around this time last year, Taylor, a 6-foot-8 senior small forward, was one of the most sought-after recruits in the sport. He scored offers from the likes of Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Illinois, Gonzaga, Michigan State, Michigan, Texas, Kansas, and the list goes on. At one point in time, Taylor was ranked within the top-5 of the class of 2023. Today, Taylor ranks as the No. 41 overall prospect in the class according to the On3 Consensus, the average ranking from all four major recruiting media companies.

Even with his lofty recruitment, most schools had backed off recruiting him some time ago. If you went to see his AAU games this summer, there weren’t many college coaches watching him and his recruitment had grown stale. Despite this, Taylor averaged 14.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game for Mac Irvin Fire (IL) on the EYBL Circuit this summer. He shot 37% from the field and 31% from three.

So the question remains, why didn’t have Taylor have any college recruitment? This was mainly due to the fact that rumors began to spread that he didn’t have much interest in going to college. Since then, the professional route seemed to be the favored destination.

Before the start of his junior year of high school, Taylor transferred to Kanye West’s new prep school, known as Donda Academy, located in Simi Valley, Calif. He played alongside several other prized recruits like five-star Kentucky commit Robert Dillingham, DePaul freshman Zion Cruz, four-star Jahki Howard, and others.

Following the closing down of Donda Academy after antisemitic remarks made by Kanye West, the founder of the school, Taylor enrolled at San Ysidro High School in San Diego, to play alongside Mikey Williams.

Scouting Summary

JJ Taylor has an impressive frame. great length and very projectable. He has some explosive pop in there too. Taylor can shoot the ball with range beyond the three-point arc. He can fall too in love with that three-ball at times as well. Shot selection and decision-making can be an issue in the half-court. He is great in transition, covers a lot of ground with his strides, and can get high above the rim. As the game gets fast and he is getting up and down and reacting, he is a force. There is upside on the defensive end, which will only enhance as he continues to add strength. – On3’s Jamie Shaw, National Recruiting Analyst