A Terry Taylor story
属于Terry Taylor的故事
Source: https://reurl.cc/Mbpjep by Brady McAtamney Mar 3, 2022
There were more pictures than usual taken at Austin Peay's Winfield Dunn
Center on Saturday, Feb. 19.
二月十九号的周六，奥斯汀佩伊州立大学的Winfield Dunn Center聚集了比平常更多
的拍照人潮。
There wasn't anything spectacular about the game itself – the Governors
lost a close one, 73-69 to the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. There weren't
more photographers employed to shoot the game. There wasn't any paparazzi
around to catch a glimpse of any major celebrity that might have been hanging
around Clarksville that particular night.
这与比赛本身无关 - Governors以些许的差距败给了Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles，
73比69，这场比赛并没有比平常更多的摄影师在这。今晚可没有什么狗仔队在
Clarksville捕捉路过名人的身影。
No, instead, a conglomerate of fans were drawn to the 22-year-old sitting at
the end of the media row across from APSU's bench. He wasn't wearing a
snazzy suit, nor a flashy outfit. Just a black hoodie and some jeans.
相反的，只是一群粉丝被这位坐在APSU媒体席最后一排的22岁年轻人吸引了过来。他并没;
有什么时髦的打扮，也没有浮夸的穿着，只是穿着一件黑帽T跟牛仔裤。
But the fans recognized him, and they couldn't help but give him hugs,
shower him with praise of their pride and ask for lots and lots of pictures.
但粉丝们认出来了他是谁，让他们忍不住上前来给他一个拥抱并告诉他大家有多么为他感
到骄傲，并且与他拍了数不清的合照。
Because that's just what Terry Taylor means to Austin Peay and its fans.
因为Terry Taylor对奥斯汀佩伊的粉丝们而言就是如此的意义重大。
Terry Taylor's recruiting profile is barren to the point that it's almost
nonexistent.
Terry Taylor的高中招募简介简陋到根本不存在。
On ESPN's official recruiting page, he has no picture, no stars and no
scouting grade. Just that he was 6-foot-5, 215 pounds out of Bowling Green,
Ky. in the class of 2017. The only school on his list is Austin Peay State
University, and it's adorned with a yellow check and “committed.”
在ESPN的招募资讯页中，他没有照片、没有任何星数、甚至没有任何球探评分。只写着他
是2017梯的高中生，6呎5吋、215磅，来自肯塔基的Bowling Green。页面上的学校列表唯
一一间学校就是奥斯汀佩伊州立大学，旁边打了一个黄色的勾，“确定入学”。
The kid from Bowling Green burst onto the spotlight in Clarksville. He was
named a 2018 All-OVC first teamer and earned the conference's Freshman of
the Year award. The player in second place was a kid from Murray State named
Ja Morant.
这个来自Bowling Green的孩子马上就走到了Clarksville的镁光灯中。他在2018年被提名
为OVC第一队，并拿下了年度最佳新人奖，当年新人奖票选的第二名是个Murray State的
年轻人，他的名子叫做Ja Morant。
Taylor finished his Austin Peay career as the school's all-time leading
scorer with 2,488 points and the only OVC player to be top-10 all-time in
points and rebounds.
Taylor最后以2488分成为了奥斯汀佩伊的校史得分王，并且成为OVC史上唯一在总得分、
篮板都进入历史前十的球员。
But, just like out of high school, he was being overlooked by the next level.
但是就像高中的时候一样，他再次被下一个层级给忽视了。
“(NBA teams) always had questions about how tall I am, what position I'm
playing,” Taylor said. “They're just asking general questions about my
background. Things like that of that nature.”
“NBA球队总是有很多质疑，像是我到底有多高、我打哪个位置。”Taylor说道：“他们
就只是问了些很稀松平常的问题，像是我的背景之类的。”
The 2021 NBA Draft came and went without Taylor having his name called.
2021的NBA选秀转眼就结束了，而Taylor的名子并没有在选秀会上被叫到。
“My agents prepared me,” Taylor said. “They were like ‘you could get your
name called’, but when certain players started getting drafted earlier or
later than usual, it kind of threw everybody’s boards off. Spots that I
potentially could have got, I didn't get because people were picking
somebody they didn’t think they could get or they had to get.”
“我的经纪人们有让我做好心理准备。”Taylor说：“他们一开始是说‘你有机会被选上
’，但是当某些人开始比预期的早或晚被选上时，大家的顺位表就开始乱成一片了。轮到
那些我有机会被选上的位置时，球队最后选了他们没想到能选到或是他们必须选的人。”
And so, despite his utter dominance at the college level, Terry Taylor was
without an NBA team.
所以尽管在大学层级缴出了宰制级的表现，Terry Talor落选了。
For roughly 10 minutes.
大概过了十分钟后。
He fielded calls from the Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana
Pacers. They all wanted to bring him onto the team as a summer league and
preseason tryout and, after deliberation, he agreed to join the Pacers.
他收到了来自热火、鹈鹕跟溜马的电话，他们都想要让他加入夏季联盟跟季前训练营。几
经考量后，Taylor决定选择加入溜马。
Much to the surprise of everybody who had never heard of him and to the
expectation of everyone who had, Taylor dominated. It was enough to earn the
little-known commodity a spot on Indiana's G-League team, the Fort Wayne Mad
Ants.
对那些没听过Taylor名字的人来说是意料之外，但对于认识Taylor的人是意料之中，他再
次缴出了宰制级的表现。这让他得到机会加入溜马的G League球队，没什么人知道的
Fort Wayne Mad Ants。
By now, this won't surprise you, but he dominated there, too. He averaged
18.9 points and 12.2 rebounds in 14 showcase games. Through his first four
regular season games, Taylor averaged nearly 30 points and 12 rebounds with
1.8 steals per game. He made half of his 3-point attempts and 57.8% of his
shots from the field.
目前为止，想必这不会让你吃惊，他再次的主宰了这里。在出赛的14场表演赛中，场均能
得到18.9分、12.2篮板。在正式的例行赛开打后的前四场比赛，Taylor场均缴出将近
30分、12篮板跟1.8抄截，伴随着50%的三分球命中率跟57.8%的投篮命中率。
He continued to crush the competition, but despite that, the call from the
big leagues didn’t come.
他持续的在场上大杀四方，但就算如此，他还是没等到升上去的机会。
“I had to talk to my pastor and everything,” Taylor said. “We were having
talks. I was telling him about what I was reading with patience in the Bible
and stuff, and he was just telling me, ‘your time's going to come. You just
got to be patient.’
“我当时得要一直跟牧师对话。”Taylor说：“我们持续的沟通，我告诉他我如何从圣经
中学习保持耐心，而他也不断的告诉我‘属于你的时刻会到来的，你只要保持耐心。’”
“I'm used to it. My agent told me ‘it wouldn't be a Terry Taylor story if
there weren't no adversity.’ It was nothing new to me. I just put my head
down and keep working.”
“我对此已经习惯，我的经纪人也告诉我：‘如果没有逆境，那就不是属于你的故事了。
’这对我来说的确不是新鲜事，所以我把头低下、持续努力。”
Before the Mad Ants' game on Dec. 15 in Grand Rapids, Mich. against the
Grand Rapids Gold, Taylor went for lunch at Jimmy John's. While digging into
his ultimate porker with no tomato on wheat, he finally got the call.
在12月15号，Mad Ants在密西根的Grand Rapids准备对上Grand Rapids Gold，Taylor在
Jimmy John's准备吃午餐时，他终于等到了那通电话。
“They told me the Pacers are waiving DeJon (Jarreau) and they're going to
bring you in for a two-way. I signed my contract in a Jimmy John's.”
“他们告诉我溜马要裁掉DeJon (Jarreau)，然后准备用双向合约签下我，我就在
Jimmy John's的餐厅里面签下了我的合约。”
He had made it – but the waiting wasn't over. Taylor wasn't active until
eight days later in the Pacers' win over the Houston Rockets, and he didn't
see the floor until Jan. 5 in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
他终于做到了 - 但等待尚未终结。Taylor一直都没被登录到名单上，直到八天后溜马对火
箭的那场比赛，然后直到一月五号对决篮网的比赛，他才终于得到了踏上场的机会。
But he did check in. For 50 seconds on a Wednesday in Indianapolis, Terry
Taylor was an NBA player.
尽管那场是输球，但Taylor终于上场了。在印城这个周三的50秒中，Terry Taylor终于成
为了一个NBA球员。
“You're nervous,” Taylor said. “Even though I checked in for, like, a
minute-and-a-half in the Brooklyn Nets game, it's just the fact that like, I
'm here. I couldn't believe it.”
“很紧张。”Taylor说：“尽管我在那场篮网的比赛大概只上了一分半钟，但我很难相信
这件事真的发生了，我在这里了。”
It took another week until he saw the floor again, this time a 4-minute,
40-second stint against the Boston Celtics. After that, he was made to wait
two weeks until his next game.
过了一周他才终于又得到了上场的机会，对上赛尔提克，4分40秒的时间。在此之后又等了
两周。
But that's where this story really gets fun.
这就是故事开始变得有趣起来的时候。
Taylor played nearly 10 minutes in the Pacers' 32-point loss to the
Charlotte Hornets. He took his first career shot attempt off a pick-and-roll,
got past Miles Bridges and put a layup up and off the glass for his first
career NBA points.
Taylor在这场以32分输给黄蜂的比赛中打了将近10分钟。在一次挡拆顺下后，他越过了
Miles Bridges用一个擦板上篮投出了他NBA生涯的第一次出手，得到了生涯的第一分。
“I couldn't imagine it being right then and there, a kid from Bowling
Green, Ky. getting that chance to do that,” he said.
“在那个当下，我不敢想像这个Bowling Green的孩子竟然能有这样的机会。”
Ever since then, Taylor has been a staple in Indiana's lineup. In the 14
games since as of March 2, he's playing 21 minutes and averaging 10 points
and 6.8 rebounds per game. His field goal percentage is 60.8% – well above
league average – and he's draining 36.4% of his 3-point attempts.
在那之后，Taylor成为了溜马轮值的一部分。在三月二号之后的14场比赛，他每场上场
21分钟，场均10分6.8篮板。他的投篮命中率是60.8% - 明显的高于联盟平均 - 并且还
有36.4%的三分命中率。
Terry Taylor isn't starstruck anymore.
Terry Taylor不再只是个追星族了。
“Now it's just like they (are) my enemies,” he said. “I'm trying to beat
them and go at them. When I was watching from afar, it was like ‘man, I can’
t believe I’m here.’ Just soaking it all up. Now I’m just trying to win. I
don’t care who you are at this point. It’s me and you on this floor. I got
to show you up and show you why I belong here.”
“现在他们都是我的对手了。”他说道：“我试着去挑战、去打倒他们。当我只是在旁边
看的时候只会想着‘老兄，我不敢相信我在这里耶。’就是努力地沉浸其中。现在我只会
想着该怎么赢球，不管我面对的人是谁。现在就是我跟你在场上对决，我要让你们看见我
的表现，让你们知道我为什么属于这里。”
It only took Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle seven games of watching Taylor
before he gave him his first career start on Feb. 6 against the Chicago
Bulls. He was Indiana’s center, meaning his matchup was four-time all-star
Nikola Vucevic.
观察了Terry Taylor七场比赛过后，溜马总教练Rick Carlisle在二月六号对上公牛的比
赛给了他生涯首次先发的机会。这场比赛Taylor是溜马的中锋，这意味着他要对位的人是
四届全明星Nikola Vucevic。
“I had to be ready,” Taylor said. “That’s all I knew – I had to be
ready. I couldn’t make no excuses. I’m here now. My teammates needed me,
and I was going against a former all-star in Nikola Vucevic so I definitely
had to be ready. I was excited about that. Not many people get to test
themselves against an all-star, someone of his caliber. I got my mind right
and I was ready to go.”
“我得要做好准备。”Taylor说：“这就是我唯一知道的事 - 我得要做好准备。我不能
找任何借口。我在这里打球，我的队友需要我，我要扛的人是Vucevic，所以我肯定是要做
好准备。我很兴奋，并没有太多人有那个机会在全明星球员的面前试试自己的成色。把心
态调整好，我就准备好要上了。”
All he did against the all-star and top seed was score 21 points and grab 14
rebounds. That was on the heels of a game against Orlando where he scored 24
points with 16 rebounds.
对上全明星球员跟联盟的前段班球队，Taylor拿下了21分14篮板。在前一场对上魔术的比
赛中，他也拿下了24分16篮板。
His explosion onto the scene prompted the now-famous quote in Clarksville,
where Carlisle, while praising his newest producer, couldn’t recall from
where the team found him – and that’s where “whatever school Terry Taylor
is from” was born.
他的爆发性表现诞生了最近在Clarkville到处流传的一句名言。当Carlisle给予培养
Terry Taylor的学校赞誉时，他想不起来溜马是从哪个地方把Taylor找来的，所以他脱
口而出的是“那个不知道哪间Terry Taylor毕业的学校。”
Taylor has grown close with his fellow Pacers rookies: Duane Washington Jr.,
Isaiah Jackson, Keifer Sykes and Chris Duarte. He’s soaking up knowledge
from veterans Myles Turner, now-traded Domantas Sabonis and Buddy Heild. He’
s heard from former college foe Dylan Windler and AAU teammate Darius Garland.
Taylor跟Duane Washington Jr.、Isaiah Jackson、Keifer Sykes、Chris Duarte这些同
梯的溜马菜鸟队友们关系很近。他也跟Myles Turner、被交易走的Domantas Sabonis、
Buddy Hield这些老将们持续的学习。从大学的对手Dylan Windler、AAU队友Darius
Garland那边打听了不少消息。
He’s guarded some of the league’s premier players, citing DeMar Derozan,
Kyle Kuzma and former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo as the toughest to defend,
though Trae Young has been his biggest challenge yet due to his quickness.
他对位了一些联盟的顶级球员，其中Demar Derozan、Kyle Kuzma、前任MVP Giannis
Antetokounpo是他认为最难对付的对手。敏捷的Trae Young则是他遇到最大的挑战。
Speaking of Kyle Kuzma, Taylor’s most viral moment so far came when he took
an entry pass into the post, turned to the hoop and went up against Kuzma,
who leapt to try and block the shot. Instead, Taylor took liftoff, made
contact with his defender and literally dunked the ball onto Kuzma’s head.
谈到了Kyle Kuzma，Taylor目前最精采的时刻就是他在禁区接到球，转向篮框并跳起来挑
战想盖他锅的Kuzma。起飞、对抗、最后在Kuzma头上把球塞进篮框。
And even in his most jaw-dropping moment yet, Taylor was what he’s always
been: cool and collected.
尽管打出了令人瞠目结舌的精彩时刻，Taylor还是像他平常的那样沉着冷静。
“They were like ‘yeah, that’s what you’re supposed to do! On his head TT!
’” Taylor said of his teammates’ reaction. “And I’m just like,
chest-bumping them and whatnot. I’m just trying to get down the floor
because we got to get ready to play defense.”
“他们差不多就是喊著‘Yeah！这就是你该做的，灌在他头上TT！’”Taylor谈到他队友
们的反应：“我就是跟他们撞胸庆祝了一下还是怎么样的，然后回到场上因为我们该准备
防守了。”
Now, when he goes back to visit Clarksville and its fans, he’s given the
hero treatment. He was put on the Dunn Center’s big screen, complete with a
highlight package of his time in college and the NBA – with the Kuzma dunk
included, of course – and a standing ovation. Fans from all around the arena
gather to take their pictures with him and get memorabilia autographed.
Because that’s what Terry Taylor means to them.
现在当他回去Clarksville时，他的粉丝们给予他英雄般的待遇。他被放在Dunn Center的
大萤幕上，伴随着他大学跟NBA的highlight - 当然包括了那个对Kuzma的灌篮 - 以及观
众们的起立鼓掌。整座球馆的粉丝都跑来跟他拍照、找他签名，Terry Taylor对他们就是
这么的重要。
And he obliges, signing every shirt, taking every picture and accepting every
hug with a smile and a thank you, because that’s what they mean to Terry
Taylor.
他接受了粉丝们的请求，签了所有衣服，拍了所有照片、收下了每一个拥抱并回给他们
一个微笑跟一句Thank you，因为粉丝们对Terry Taylor就是这么的重要。
The Pacers have an exciting young core of players. Duarte and Jackson have
lived up to their first-round draft capital, and the newly acquired Tyrese
Haliburton and Jalen Smith have given the team a breath of fresh, young air.
Oshae Brissett and Myles Turner are core young pieces, and veterans Malcolm
Brodgon and Buddy Hield provide steady hands as elders on the roster.
溜马现在有一批令人振奋的年轻球员，Duarte跟Jackson证明了他们的首轮身价，最新入
队的Tyrese Haliburton跟Jalen Smith带给了球队全新的氛围。Oshae Brissett、
Myles Turner也是年轻人，再配上Malcolm Brogdon跟Buddy Hield扮演稳定球队的大哥。
One would think that, with the way he’s played, Taylor would be penciled in
as one of the team’s exciting young players moving forward. But he’s still
not been signed to a guaranteed contract. There haven’t even been talks of
it. As of now, he’s still a two-way player, free to be sent back to Fort
Wayne at the drop of a hat.
也许有人会想，Taylor都打出了这样的表现了，他应该也是球队未来的年轻核心吧？但他
仍然还没有签下保障合约。球队还没有讨论过这方面的事情，就现在来说，他还是个双向
球员，只要想就可以再把他送回去Fort Wayne。
He plans to earn that roster spot.
他的目标就是要在队上抢下一个位置。
“Keep working. Keep grinding. Stay true to who I am.”
“持续努力，持续精进，忠于自我。”
Because if there wasn’t adversity, if he didn’t have to grind and earn it,
it wouldn’t be a Terry Taylor story.
如果没有困境，如果不需要拼命就能得到机会，那就不是属于Terry Taylor的故事了。