Jermaine Taylor Is Making Highlights Again

Former UCF Basketball star Jermaine Taylor is back in the NBDL, now as a member of the Utah Jazz's affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.

Taylor, who is now 30, signed with the Stars after finishing the 2015 season with the Idaho Stampede. After playing in New Zealand, Taylor is now back in the NBA system.

After averaging 26 points per game as a senior at UCF, Taylor was drafted by the Washington Wizards in 2009, but then traded to Houston, where he played for two years. He had a cup of coffee as a starter in the Sacramento Kings' rotation late in the 2010-11 season, averaging just over seven points per game.

Since then, though, it's been a series of stints in the D-League and internationally, including stops in Spain, Israel and China, as well as the Maine Red Claws, where he suffered a catastrophic knee injury in 2013. He fought back into the league last year before being traded to Idaho.

Four games prior to the injury, he dropped a career-high 49 points in one game.

Taylor once again showed his trademark explosiveness, coupled with some veteran wiliness, the other night has he poured in 20 points for Salt Lake City over Northern Arizona - his first 20-point game on American soil in almost a year and a half:

Taylor also displayed some vertical on this play against the Suns:

Following Taylor's appearance on The Beat of Sports with Marc Daniels earlier this year, he still had not latched on with a team, and to at least some fans, it looked like Jermaine's dream might be over (Sidebar: I for one hoped his hometown Magic would pick him up - Taylor grew up in Tavares).

But the Jazz called and moved him to their D-League affiliate, the Stars, and he now appears to be giving them notice once again as a scoring two-guard who can attack the rim and hit from outside. Taylor averages 14 points per game for his D-League career.

I personally have been lobbying for Jermaine to get a shot with his hometown Orlando Magic, and I continue to hold out hope that he will get a shot back here in Central Florida again. But regardless of where it happens, the fact that Jermaine is back on the floor in any capacity, let alone scoring in bunches again, is reason to celebrate.