While Deron Williams spent the Nets’ week-long training camp at Duke University limited in practice because of a sprained right ankle, he liked what he saw from Tyshawn Taylor.
“I think Ty has had a really good camp,” Williams said following Saturday’s final practice at Duke University. “I think he had a lot to prove coming in, and me being out gave him a lot of time to get a lot of reps out there.
“He’s slowed down, and made great decisions out there on the floor. He’s still learning, but he’s getting better.”
Taylor, the 41st overall pick in the 2012 draft, came into the second training camp of his pro career facing the same situation he did last fall, with both Williams and another veteran point guard — last year it was C.J. Watson, this year Shaun Livingston — ahead of him on the depth chart.
But that didn’t stop Taylor from coming into training camp with the mindset he can force his way into playing time in the crowded backcourt.
“Just be competitive, and just compete and work hard,” Taylor said of his thought process heading into camp. “Shaun and C.J. are proven point guards in this league, and I’m still trying to prove myself, so I just have to come out and compete and do the extra stuff … get in here early, leave late, go and get extra shots up on days off, things like that.
“Just being out here and being in the mix, getting some bump-and-grind, guys are starting to trust me, coming up to me and letting me know that was a good play, this is a good play, this is what you have to do next time when you see something, and I think it’s helping me.”
Taylor also said he and Livingston have a lot of respect for each other.
“Me and Shaun, we have to go at it,” Taylor said. “We have to compete. He just came up to me and said, ‘Yo, you had a good week,’ and I told him the same thing because we both work hard and we both understand this is a really good team and we both want to be a part of it.”
At 6-foot-3, Taylor has the length and athleticism to give opponents problems at the point, especially defensively. He didn’t get a ton of chances to play last year thanks to the presence of both Williams and Watson, but in one of his rare chances at extended playing time — Feb. 11 at Indiana — Taylor scored 12 points and helped the Nets to an overtime win, showing what he’s capable of doing.
“Shaun is doing great, and Ty has improved,” coach Jason Kidd said. “They both have improved, and they both have accepted that challenge. We put them on black, and they both played well with black, and that shows that if someone can’t go, we have guys that can step right in and run the show.”
Although Taylor did well with his week-long audition during camp with Williams sidelined, his playing opportunities should be extended for at least the next week, as well, with Williams all but certain to miss Tuesday’s preseason opener in Washington and also likely to sit out Saturday’s home preseason game against the Pistons.
That gives Taylor at least two more chances to show the Nets’ decision-makers what he’s capable of, and he hopes to take advantage of the opportunity.
“Every time I step on this court, I think it’s a chance for my team to evaluate me — my coaches, my general manager and the whole staff to just evaluate how I have improved from one year to the next, from one summer to the next,” Taylor said. “I think [this] week going into these preseason games is huge for me, and I’m really excited about it.
“Like I said, I don’t know [Deron’s] full situation, but I’m glad I got to get this week in, and if it stretches out a little bit longer, hopefully I can just play well. I am praying that he gets back and I want him to get back, but this week was good for me, so I’m happy about that.”