Isaiah Taylor takes a jab at Efes, discusses his injury vs. Bayern / News - Basketnews.com

Taylor admitted he has been playing at 75-80% lately and could shift into a higher gear if he was completely healthy. Zalgiris won 75% of their EuroLeague games with Taylor on the court and went 1-6 without him.

Credit: Christina Pahnke/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Christina Pahnke/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Zalgiris mid-season addition Isaiah Taylor played a big-time role in the clutch Kaunas' run of four straight EuroLeague victories to make an astonishing appearance in the Top 8.

Isaiah Taylor

MIN:14.56PTS:5.78 (52.9%)REB:0.83As:1.65ST:0.48BL:0TO:0.91GM:23ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

Four months and a half ago, Taylor was still a player of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, who failed the three-peat mission and missed this season's playoffs.

In Turkey, Taylor had to face huge competition, as Efes have Vasilije Micic, Shane Larkin (injured at that time), Rodrigue Beaubois, Elijah Bryant, and Will Clyburn on the perimeter.

Current Zalgiris guard averaged 2.6 points and 1.6 PIR over 11 EuroLeague games (10 minutes) during his stint in Istanbul. Though, the Greens revived his confidence, giving Taylor game reigns into his hands.

Zalgiris' seventh seed is the best example that the Keenan Evans replacement plan worked wonders.

Meanwhile, Taylor still holds a grudge against the back-to-back champs.

"Crazy to think… my last team didn't think it was worth playing me LOL," Taylor tweeted, adding a clown emoji, after the qualification for the EuroLeague playoffs.

Taylor has shined since being acquired by Zalgiris, with an average of 8.7 points and 2.8 assists per game, shooting 58% from the 3-point range.

However, his struggles of staying healthy are another topic to discuss.

There is a possibility the 28-year-old could miss the entire best-of-five series against FC Barcelona.

Taylor injured his right hamstring in a do-or-die game vs. Bayern on Friday night. He earlier was sidelined for three weeks due to a partially torn hamstring of the same leg.

The agile guard told BasketNews that the latest injury could be as serious as it was in mid-January.

"I've been playing 75-80 percent lately," Taylor admitted to BasketNews. "I still have another switch, another speed that I could hit if I was 100 percent healthy."

Isaiah Taylor

Team:Zalgiris KaunasPosition:PGAge:28Height:191 cmWeight:77 kgBirth place:California, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Taylor returned to the court in February but was not fully healed from the previous injury. A keen eye could have noticed that the American player was limping.

"[If it wasn't such an important part of the season] I would not be playing now," he revealed. "I would be resting. This is a crucial part of the season. People know what athletes do to get on the court, whatever we have to do just to play the game, that's what I am doing right now."

Zalgiris won 75% of their EuroLeague games with Taylor on the floor -- 9 out of 12 matches. Without Taylor, Zalgiris went 1-6 in the EuroLeague.

"To be honest, it sucks," Taylor said of his injuries. "I don't like being on a sideline, I enjoy playing basketball. I enjoy dribbling the ball, I enjoy shooting, I enjoy passing to my open teammates. It's no other feeling like it.

"My injury has been dragging and I have been playing through it this whole time, all the season basically, ever since it first happened."

Game 1 of the playoff series between Barca and Zalgiris is scheduled for April 26 at Palau Blaugrana.

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