Taylen Kinney Commitment
When people discuss the Hoop State, you often hear states like Indiana, California, New York, New Jersey, and Florida mentioned, but you rarely hear Kentucky mentioned. The state actually has some dudes from there, like Wes Unseld, Rajon Rondo, PJ Washington, D’Angelo Russell, Allan Houston, Reed Sheppard, Dave Cowens, David Johnson, and Taylen Kinney, the current five-star recruit who just made his college commitment. Kinney is a 6’2 guard from Newport, Kentucky, who’s ranked 17th on the 247 composite board. He’s a fun, smooth, and productive point guard who is known much more for his things off the court.
People either know Taylen because he’s the 6-7 guy from TikTok or the guy Overtime Elite always promotes. Coaches, however, know him because of his performances on the Adidas circuit the past two summers with his AAU team called Wildcat Select and the flashes he has displayed while playing in the OTE league. Kinney is a man on the mind of many people for different reasons, but we are here because the five-star guard has finally chosen a college and ended what was a competitive and fireworks-filled (in a good way) recruitment.
The recruitment journey has been an eventful one for Kinney. It started once he announced his final 15 last Christmas: Kentucky, Georgia, Illinois, Purdue, Kansas, Tennessee, Auburn, Oregon, Kansas State, Alabama, Louisville, Cincinnati, Arkansas, Notre Dame, and Xavier. After that list cut, he made some official visits to Purdue and Cincinnati. Then the summer came, when he began to garner more attention from schools and make coaches fall even more in love with him. During the summer, favorites started to emerge. However, once the AAU season ended and the summer was about to end, he made a list cut down to 12: Arkansas, Auburn, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, Oregon, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas, and Xavier. The favorites still remained once he made the list cut, as Kentucky and Louisville felt like this was their recruitment to lose.
Then he began to schedule visits, and after those visits were scheduled, he opened August with his final list cut of eight: Oregon, Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, Louisville, Arkansas, Miami, and Indiana. The schools he ended up taking official visits to were Kentucky, Louisville, Arkansas, Oregon, Kansas, and Indiana. The period while he was taking all those visits featured a good amount of twists and turns, but then we finally got a commitment date for September 28th. Before the decision was announced, three favorites heading in were Kansas, Kentucky, and Louisville. So now that this busy recruitment is over and that one of the class's most well-known names has finally made his college decision, let’s see if Kinney is all hype with no substance, a typical social media high school basketball player in the mold of Aquille Carr, or actually one of the best guards in the 2025 recruiting class.
Image is from: shotbyydre Instagram
Taylen Is Kin To Skill
Taylen Kinney is a skillful guard who has produced in all kinds of settings. On the Adidas circuit, he averaged 18.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals. In the NBA Players Association Top 100 camp, he made the first team with averages of 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.0 steals. Lastly, during his junior season in OTE, he averaged 20.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.3 steals. This summer, Kinney also made the first team on the Adidas circuit, participated in the Adidas Eurocamp, and performed well in the Spida Elite camp (Donovan Mitchell’s camp). Taylen Kinney consistently produces, and he knows how to get his own on the stat sheet.
The aspect of Kinney's skill set that intrigues me the most is his scoring abilities. He is a skilled shot creator and has consistently produced as a scorer throughout his high school career. Kinney is a capable scorer who excels in all kinds of scenarios and out of all sorts of actions, thanks to his exquisite handle, functional jumper, feel as a scorer, good finishing skills, and overall scoring touch. Taylen is a natural three-level scorer, but inside the arc is where Taylen feels the most comfortable as a scorer. It is also where he produces the majority of his points. Beginning with around the basket. Kinney is a solid downhill scorer who can finish with both hands, handle traffic around the basket, and make defenses collapse due to the threat he poses with his scoring around the basket. His best weapon as a finisher is his floater.
Taylen’s floater is not only impressive but also a handy weapon for him as a downhill scorer. He uses it well when trying to finish against length, score over defenders near the rim, and score when driving in the middle of the court. He has great touch as a scorer, and that touch really helps him have a helpful floater that he can often use when attacking the basket. He can make floaters off one or two feet and with either hand, even though he prefers to shoot floaters with his right hand.
As a below-the-rim finisher, Kinney is definitely someone who can finish off the glass, make layups at a respectable rate, and generate those attempts whenever attacking out of ball screens, isolations, transition possessions, or off the catch. Taylen isn't the most crafty below-the-rim finisher in the world, but he does have some elastic finishing abilities whenever he gets caught in the air or is trying to finish over bigger defenders. He can also handle contact and finish through traffic when needed to. As for above the rim, he does have some nice vertical athleticism in his downhill game, as he can explode for some big finishes above the rim. However, his vertical pop isn't the main character in his downhill scoring game; it’s more like a side character who tends to steal the show or draw attention occasionally. It appears the most when he has a clean lane to take off from or in transition. Taylen may not be an elite finisher at the rim, but he is definitely capable, someone who makes himself a threat near the hoop and is productive when given the opportunity to score at the rim.
Along with those abilities at the rim, Kinney also has a useful mid-range jumper to diversify his scoring attack. He excels at utilizing his mid-range shooting abilities to attack open space inside the arc and effectively counter defenses that overload the paint or cut off his drives. The mid-range is where Taylen loves to operate the most as a scorer. He loves to operate in the mid-range, and he loves pull-ups more than body training parents. He makes mid-range pull-ups when attacking drop coverage as a pick-and-roll ball handler. Whenever he gets run off the three-point line, whenever he gets the opportunity to walk defenders down to his spots with the ball, and he also makes them when he has to stop on a dime or his drives get cut off after driving out of his isolations or times to work against a defender one-on-one.
The handle is the reason why he gets a lot of these shot attempts and scoring opportunities. His handle is super fluid, tight, elusive, and quick. It doesn't wilt in traffic that much; it helps him be a tough cover on the perimeter and get to his spots in some of the most efficient ways possible with the ball. He has great control of his handle. He has the ball on a string and does well maintaining his good control when attacking downhill, handling in traffic, or when hitting counters against defenders. He changes direction and counters what his defender does with the ball, really well and fluidly. The counters he possesses as a ball handler are numerous and sufficient. His ability to hit them with precision, quickness, and at the best opportune moments helps him get downhill and get easier shots off the dribble more frequently. His handle also looks really impressive in ball screens, as he can truly slither to spots and keep the ball on a string when coming off a ball screen. Aggressive ball screen coverages dont make his handle wobble, and aggressive defenses, period, dont affect him that much either, as he does a great job maintaining the pace he wants to play with and not letting defenses lure him into playing faster than he wants. His handle isn't super quick, sharp, or shifty like the best ball handlers we have seen and he lacks good burst to create clean and easy separation against set defenders, but the fact that his handle flows like water in a river, and he has complete control over it, helps him be a real tough cover on the perimeter and a good creator with the ball in his hands.
Taylon is a good bucket getter and one of the better scoring guards in the 2026 recruiting class, but the playmaking skills he has separate him from scoring guards from the past. Taylen is fully capable of running an offense, leveraging his scoring gravity to make plays for others, and making an impact as a passer. As a playmaker, he falls into the technical playmaker category, as his best passes occur when he makes sound reads against strong-side defenders, while handling the ball in transition, and to his pick-and-roll partner. The majority of his assists come off the basic and simple reads that all point guards are used to making.
Now, he doesn't make those simple reads at a frequent enough rate to be high-level as a technical playmaker. He does tend to miss some reads or elect to get his own in tougher scenarios, often when initiating the offense. Since he doesn't make those reads at a super consistent level, it does hurt his assist numbers and limits the level of initiator he currently is. He doesn't create many high-value shots for his offense by making reads to the weak side or live dribble passing reads, nor does he make second- or third-level reads. That inability hurts his playmaking skills against top-level defensive teams, and when defenses take away his first passing reads. When defenses really challenge him, he needs more tools in his passing toolbox so he can be well-equipped for every situation and tricks defenses give him. He also needs to improve as a processor by being able to see openings and open teammates quicker, as he tends to see them too late, which allows defenses to shut the passing windows and recover back to their matchup.
Taylen can currently solve simple equations like 2 + 2 and 8 times 13, but my questions arise when he has to solve equations that involve multiple operations or parentheses, if you catch my drift with this metaphor. Does he have the intellect or tools to solve those kinds of problems? Currently, no. However, even with those current issues and limitations, I like Taylen as a passer despite his limitations. He is not a selfish player; he understands how his scoring gravity can create easy shots for others and is willing to make the simple reads. He is also a solid ball mover capable of keeping the offense flowing and keeping defenses in rotation when they are. Lastly, he is also good with his turnovers as he does not turn the ball over often, averaging 1.9 turnovers during his past OTE season and 1.5 during the Adidas circuit.
Now, before we move on to the defense, I need to address one of the clear issues with his offensive skill set, and that is his three-point shot. I know I did skip his three-point jumper like it was the annoying friend at a party, but Kinney has not been as effective, consistent, or reliable a shooter from three so far in his basketball journey. On the Adidas circuit, he shot 28.6% and with OTE, in his junior season, he shot 33.3%. Taylen is more of a three-point shot-maker than a shooter currently, as he has demonstrated the ability to make shots from three, whether off the catch or dribble. However, the inconsistency and streakiness in his three-point jumper have led to poor results from beyond the arc.
The thing about his jumper, though, is that his mechanics and the moments he has shown as a three-point shooter make me refuse to think that he is a lost cause as a positive three-point shooter. Like I said, there are some games where Kinney makes some impressive threes in an assortment of ways, but there are also some games where he shoots the ball really well from three. At the NBA top 100 camp, he shot a tremdous 47.6% from three and looked super impressive and versatile as a three-point shooter during that camp. While that showing should make people confident that he has a good three-point shooter lying within him, he himself is not the most confident shooter from outside. In his junior season with OTE, he had 10 games out of the 21 he played where he shot three or fewer three-pointers. For better context, with OTE, Kinney had a three-point frequency of 29.6% which in the NBA would have ranked near the 17th percentile. In the Adidas circuit, his three-point frequency was 30.3% which would rank somewhere near the 20th percentile. Along with the statistics, the film also highlights the consistent lack of confidence from behind the arc as a shooter.
Maybe confidence is the wrong word to describe the lack of three-point volume. Preference is likely better because he prefers to score inside the arc and take pull-ups in the mid-range. That preference is what is leading to his low and inconsistent volume from three. If he cuts out a lot of the tough twos that he likes to take and learns how to create more pull-up three pointers for himself, then the volume could spike because off the catch, he takes a good amount of threes when given the opportunity. The volume may be worrying, but here comes the mechanics to save the day, and make me turn into Uncle Owen and have a New Hope for his three-point jumper. His mechanics look really solid. He has a one motion shot, his upper half shooting mechanics are aligned with his base, he one-two steps into the majority of his shots, the dip in his shot is mostly higher than his hips, his release point is in a good spot, he gets good arc on the ball, and he gets good lift in his shot through the base of his shooting mechanics.
Now, like his volume, there are some consistency issues at times with his mechanics. The most consistent issue in his mechanics is his balance, as he fades on about 70% of his three-point jumpers, which makes many of his misses short or appear unattractive due to the lack of balance. The other major consistent issue that is evident in his mechanics is that he fails to maintain his follow-through when shooting. Both are very fixable with more reps, and those reps should also help address the minor mechanical issues that can occasionally arise, like his base can get too skinny, and his knees will touch when he’s shooting. Those two mechanical issues dont show up as much as the balance and follow-through issues, but at times they can appear, albeit in spurts.
Taylen needs to improve as a three-point shooter and a shooter off the bounce in general, because today's basketball landscape requires initiators and guards to be able to make pull-up threes at an efficient rate. Being a good or adequate pull-up shooter allows ball handlers to create more confusion for their defenders, not be limited as a handler in ball screens, space the floor at a much better rate, and avoid stagnating their team's offense. It would be a different conversation about the need for him to improve as a three-point shooter if he were an elite downhill scorer or athlete, but he isn't. I like him as a finisher and definitely think he is capable of producing at a good rate around the basket, but he isn't so good to negate the need to be an adequate shooter from beyond the arc.
While your partner being someone who doesn't like your friends, is a picky eater, or snores when they sleep, is a negotiable, pull-up shooting for a ball handler or guard is not a negotiable. It’s essential to be successful in today's basketball landscape. I don’t think Taylen needs to become someone who attempts over 10 threes a game or become a 44% shooter from three, but becoming an imposing, confident, and 38% or greater shooter from three is something that needs to happen for Kinney. Now that we have gone through the dark alley (his three-point shot) that we skipped earlier during a stroll through Kinney’s skill set, let’s keep moving and go through his defense.
For someone who garners a lot of attention for his offense and is known most for his offensive skills, he is a solid defender capable of making an impact and not being a pushover on that end. Naturally, a guard who is 6’2 will raise some questions about his effectiveness on the defensive end. Well, thanks to his listed 6’6 wingspan, good positional strength, and impressive reflexes and awareness, he is a good defender. He is capable of making plays off the ball consistently, defending his assignments well enough, and switching onto multiple positions on the perimeter.
On the ball, Kinney is very pesky as he loves to poke at the ball, really make weaker ball handlers wilt when they have the ball, and apply pressure to his matchup. He is a defender who loves to challenge his matchup and apply the most pressure he can as a on-ball defender. Now that pressure and an aggressive style can cause some issues for him, as he does have some quickness issues. When he gets beaten, Taylen struggles to recover, and he can struggle with quick guards in space. Now he can make some plays from behind as a defender, but he isn't someone who can or should rely on making plays from behind as a defender. His frame isn't overly eye-popping, but he does have a strong chest and broad shoulders that allow him to defend against bigger players and be a tough defender to drive through. However, he still struggles to defend taller players, and his strength doesn't make him a solid guard-up defender who can guard forwards, big wings, or centers.
Taylen’s biggest hole as a on-ball defender is his screen navigation. He does not do well getting over screens, getting skinny or small enough to stay attached to his man, recovering back to his man when he gets behind, or avoiding contact from the screener. Taylen tends to give up a decent amount of dribble penetration and open shots off the dribble to pick and roll ball handlers, and he also tends to give up two-on-one scenarios for offenses to attack in because he struggles to prevent those scenarios from happening as a screen navigator. Now let’s look at he fairs when he isn't defending the person with the ball.
Off the ball, Taylen does a good job reading opposing ball handlers' eyes, anticipating passing reads, and making aware plays. That anticipation, good eyes for what offenses are doing, and his length help him intercept passes that seem safe but aren't. Now, a 6'6 "wingspan is not a pterodactyl-like wingspan, so don't get his wingspan confused with that of some other long-armed basketball players, but it’s a plus wingspan capable of reaching things some other defenders can’t. Especially compared to guards of a similar height to him. Taylen does gamble a lot as a defender. His avid gambling makes him susceptible to giving up easy points, getting out of position to recover, and creating opportunities for the offense to have advantageous situations, such as five on fours, four on threes, or open driving lanes to work with.
I do think Taylen is a smart defender who makes good rotations and can help a team's defense as an off-ball defender, but his desire for the ball clouds his judgment and decision-making as a defender. Taylen currently has a turnover addiction problem, so some intervention by his future college coaches, along with a realization of what good defense can look like without turnovers, should help him revert to the positive aspects of his off-ball defensive skills. Now, he shouldn't totally remove the gambling in his defense because it does help him get steals. He just needs to remove the unneeded and unwise gambles. No more gambling on UFC heavyweight fights to end in a finish, aka no more trying to get passes you had no shot at getting in the first place, or jumping for every pass just to do it. Just let your anticipation and awareness fuel what passes and drives you to try to make plays as a defender. The best way to describe Taylen as a defender is that he burns calories on that end, which simply means that he consistently gives his all. Not only does he put in effort on that end, but he is also capable of elevating a unit as a defender because of his skills, despite the issues with his constituency and tools.
Kinney’s online presence and memes have attracted people of all ages to watch his games and highlights, much like those who followed or watched Battlestar Galactica. Everyone is participating in the meme, but not everyone is engaging in the discourse about him as a basketball player, nor is everyone giving him the respect he deserves. Is he someone who is a guaranteed pro or a can't-miss guard prospect? No, but he’s a good recruit and a capable guard who can contribute to winning and produce at a high level. Turning some of the good skills he has into some great ones could help him become one of the better guard recruits we have seen, but to me, Taylen is just a fine-to-good recruit. For him, the three-point shot will be a constant question around his skill set and potential. I don't expect Taylen to answer that question in his game in such a quick manner, like in the show Lost, but over time, I hope the question will receive a positive answer, given the breadcrumbs we have already received from him. He may profile as a good multiple-year college guard rather than a guaranteed one-and-done recruit, but that doesn't mean he won't be a good multiple-year college guard. Kinney has a well-rounded skillset and some nice things to build upon, but now let’s see where and who will be helping him build upon this well-rounded skillset that he has, so he can potentially become a great guard prospect.
Image is from: adidasbasketball Instagram
Taylen Loves To Be himSelf
The battle for Taylen always felt like a Macho Man versus Ricky Steamboat-esque battle between Kentucky and Louisville, as Kinney is from Kentucky, and both schools strive to attract as much guard talent as possible to their programs. However, once Taylen took his official visit to Kansas, Bill worked his magic and secured this one out of nowhere. Now Taylen Kinney is officially a Kansas Jayhawk. Kansas did some excellent late work in this recruitment, and now they have secured their point guard for next season, once their likely top-five pick, guard Darryn Peterson, leaves after this season.
Obviously, the ties between Kinney, Adidas, and Kansas are likely a significant factor in this decision; however, the basketball fit is what matters most and drove this decision. Coach Self has so many accolades and has sent dozens of players to the NBA, and he just added former NBA head coach Jacque Vaughn to his coaching staff. Kansas's coaching pedigree played a significant role in this recruitment, according to all sources. He loved the pitch coach Self gave him; he really respected the things Vaughn and Self have done as coaches on their respective levels, and loved how both coaches have developed players to be successful and sustainable NBA players. The coaching is going to be good, and the potential supporting class he might have could be just as good if things go right or look promising this upcoming season. Kohl Rosario, Bryson Tiller, and Samis Calderon are interesting freshman wings/forwards who could serve well in helping Taylen elevate as a passer and help him look best suited defensively. Jayden Dawson could be a returning senior floor spacer for him as an initiator. Elmarko Jackson could be a good backcourt partner to help him be efficient and not overtasked, and finally, Flory Bidunga, as a junior, could be the best big Taylen has ever played with, as he doesn't leave for the draft after this upcoming season.
When not even considering the potential transfers or freshman Kansas could bring in alongside Taylen, he could be walking into a pretty deep and fun roster that could help elevate him as a player and be best suited to succeed as a day-one contributor, along with the coaching. Regarding the system fit, Kansas has consistently ranked in the top 150 in tempo and pace in college basketball, so Taylen will be able to play in the open floor much like he does now and showcase his skills as a transition creator. Kansas is also a well-coached half-court offensive team that runs a variety of effective sets, finds ways for guards to succeed and drive downhill, and allows guards to participate in a range of two-man actions. Kinney will be in structure and put in good sets and spots to be his most efficient self as a creator with the ball. While Taylen is not the best pick-and-roll creator for reasons we have already mentioned, putting him in these scenarios and actions to grow will be beneficial for his development, and it should also help him showcase those improvements if they occur more quickly than expected.
Speaking of that opportunity he will be given, like I said earlier, Taylen does see things as fast as you would like, nor does he have a great field of vision that the usual elite offensive hubs and generators have; however, the opportunity that Kansas will give him, and the deep intellect that Coach Self and Vaugn have as coaches could help Taylen turn into a boy genius with the ball and be a high feel offensive leader.
As for the defense, Coach Self and the Kansas program have always been a strong one, capable of developing players on the defensive end. If they don’t develop or turn into a good defender for Kansas (which Taylen likely won't have to worry about, given his abilities already on that end), they have proven to be able not to make them look silly on that end. Devon Dotson and Dajuan Harris were both great defensive guards for Kansas, despite their size limitations. I believe Kansas does some great work with helping Taylen as a defender, aiming to turn him into a more consistent and sound defender who receives more recognition for his abilities on that end than he currently does.
I don’t think Coach Self made a Christen Bell as Veronica Mars kind of casting by making Taylen Kinney his future (and likely) starting point guard and lead star, but I do believe this is Zoe Saldana as Gamora-level casting. I think getting Kinney was a good thing, basically what I am trying to say, because of his clear skill and potential to be an impactful two-way lead initiator. However, Taylen is not one of the best guard recruits we have seen in recent years, nor one of the three best in the country. Getting a good player is still good, though, even though this commitment isn't one who will walk onto campus as a near guarantee one-and-done. Time could make me wrong, though, and Coach Self has consistently turned players pro who many never expected to be NBA-level players, such as Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, Devonte Graham, and Johnny Furphy.
Kansas might not be done with this class, though. Taylen might be the rock that broke the dam for this Kansas recruiting class, as coach Self and the Jayhawks are heavily involved with other five-star recruits like Tyran Stokes (the number 1 ranked recruit), Ethan Taylor, and Alex Constanza. Kinney was a great addition for the Jayhawks, and it will be interesting to see if any other five-star recruits join him in Lawrence.
Quickly, before we close, for schools like Kentucky and Louisville, missing on this recruit does sting a bit, given how much time they reportedly spent trying to get him to commit to their school, and that he is a kid from Kentucky, but both schools still have some strikes to spare before they are out of this class. Both schools are still heavily involved with five-star guard Dreon Rippey, who’s ranked higher than Taylen on the composite board, and they are also in on other five-star recruits like Tyran Stokes, Arafan Diane, Jordan Smith, Caleb Holt, Cameron Williams, Baba Oladotun, Bryson Howard, Christian Collins, and Anthony Thompson. dont think the world is ending, Kentucky and Louisville fans. Oregon, Indiana, and Arkansas- those schools never felt like legitimate threats, and they are still in on some other key five-star recruits.
Taylen Kinney is now officially off the board for the 2026 recruiting class, and the second domino has fallen in the guard position for his class. Both sides should feel good about this decision and with what they are getting out of each other, and now let’s see if the Jayhawks can construct one of the best classes in the 2026 recruiting class with Taylen, or go all in on him being their only freshman recruit for the 2026-27 season.
