The Kansas State women have just started their search through the transfer portal this offseason, and they’ve already found a player that could be a big contributor for them next season.
Kennedy Taylor is a 6-foot-3 transfer forward from Missouri State with one year of remaining eligibility.
She came off the bench this last season and averaged 20.6 minutes per game, was third-team All-Missouri Valley and won the Sixth Player of the Year award. Taylor was also named to third-team All-MVC in the 2022-23 season and was on the All-Newcomer team.
She played her true freshman season at Colorado appearing in just eight games averaging 2.4 minutes per game.
What the stats say
Kennedy Taylor did not play more than 30 minutes in a game this season with only three games in the previous 65 where she played at least 30 minutes. Taylor averaged 20.6 minutes per game last season and 22.9 minutes per game as a sophomore.
Even though she didn’t play a lot of minutes, Taylor was still a great rebounder. She averaged 7.1 rebounds last season and 8.5 rebounds in the 2022-23 season. Taylor ranked 21st nationally in total rebounding rate in 2023-24 out of 3300 players per HerHoopStats.com, a statistical and analytical website providing rankings and stats on every team and women’s college basketball player.
She was also 26th in defensive rebounding rate and 56th in offensive rebounding rate.
Taylor also averaged double figures in both seasons at Missouri State, averaging 10.7 points this season and 12.3 points last season while shooting 50% or better in both seasons. She also improved her free-throw percentage from her sophomore to junior year by 9% with a 66.7 free-throw percentage this year.
To get a better picture of how good Taylor was this year, you have to look at her numbers per 40 minutes. Per 40 minutes take into account a player’s stats per 40 minutes and show how well someone plays in the minutes they get.
Taylor was top 10 in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring, field goals attempted, field goals made, two-point attempts, two-point field goals made, and free throw attempts per 40 minutes. Taylor was highly impactful and efficient in her time on the floor even though she was coming off the bench.
Taylor’s best game of the season came against Drake in the Missouri Valley Championship game where she had 22 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes of action on 60 percent shooting and 80 percent at the free throw line.
What the film shows
I went back and watched Kennedy Taylor’s games vs Drake in the conference championship game, and against Power 5 schools Missouri, BYU, Oklahoma State, and Illinois.
One of the first things that stood out was how good of a rebounder she is. She was able to establish a rebounding position on defense and didn’t allow very many offensive rebounds. She also did a good job of attacking the offensive glass and getting offensive rebounds in key spots.
She was constantly talking on defense, letting her teammates know when the screen is coming and calling out different actions. Taylor has the ability to score over either shoulder and will establish a deep post position on offense to create easy baskets for herself.
She also has soft hands when she catches the ball and rarely drops a post-entry pass. Taylor is mainly a back-to-the-basket post player but has some playmaking ability out of the high post.
There were a few negatives that I saw when watching her film but nothing that is overly concerning.
There were times when she was switched out onto a smaller guard on the perimeter and got beat but I don’t foresee that as an issue because K-State plays a lot of drop coverage with their bigs.
Taylor bites too hard on pump fakes, especially in the post, and will give up the post position too easily on defense. She has adequate athleticism for a post her size but does get into trouble when guarding on the perimeter, especially against teams that run a five-out offense.
Overall, the film showed a good player who is good at operating out of the high and low posts and plays solid defense, but runs into issues when guarding on the perimeter.
The fit with K-State
The K-State fit is interesting especially with Ayoka Lee coming back for one more season.
Before the news of Lee coming back, Taylor was seen as someone who could start and split time with Eliza Maupin or Imani Lester. She is now Lee’s backup and it will allow Lee to play fewer minutes during the regular season so she can be 100% healthy for postseason play.
Taylor’s play style on offense is similar to Lee and they like to score in similar ways. Taylor is more willing to take the mid-range jumper when she is left open and operated more out of the high post than Lee did.
I imagine she will play anywhere from 15-20 minutes per game depending on the game situation. In an ideal world, Ayoka Lee plays 25 minutes per game and Taylor plays 15 to keep both fresh throughout the game.
From watching Kennedy Taylor’s time at Missouri State, she played alongside another post most of the time on the floor and they would post up both bigs at the same time. Because of this, Taylor wouldn’t have a lot of room to operate in the post and that won’t be the case at K-State.
K-State likes to run a four-out motion offense where they isolate post-ups. Taylor was successful in isolation post-ups and could finish over either shoulder. She will have to adjust to the physicality and speed of the Big 12, but Taylor is certainly an upgrade at the backup center position compared to what they had last season.
What the coaches say
“The thing about Kennedy that we really liked was we needed to get more depth,” head coach Jeff Mittie said. “We lost Heavenly Greer to the portal. We needed to add more depth (to help with) the load management. We needed somebody that we felt like could could alleviate some of the minutes off of the Yoki. (Taylor’s) more physical, we wanted a physical, strong rebounder. You look at Kennedy’s numbers. This is one of the better offensive rebounders not just in her league, but in the country. She averaged almost four a game. I think she brings a lot of what we need.”
