Taft slips from possible lottery pick to second round

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas best summed up why former Pitt standout Chris Taft wasn’t drafted where… ESPN analyst Jay Bilas best summed up why former Pitt standout Chris Taft wasn’t drafted where most thought he would be.

“Thus far in his career, he’s unskilled,” Bilas told a national audience that saw Taft go as the 42nd overall selection to the Golden State Warriors in the 2005 draft.

Once thought to be a high lottery pick, the 6-foot-10-inch, 260-pound Brooklyn native’s stock plummeted after a poor showing at pre-draft workouts. As late as the week before the draft, many projections had him going in the first round.

“I don’t know who was doing that,” Bilas said of those projecting Taft in the first round. “He’s not ready.”

Taft forwent his final two years of eligibility at Pitt to enter the draft early and, primarily based on potential, was thought of as a high draft pick. Golden State’s selection ends a bumpy ride for Taft that, for a while, appeared to be headed toward a first-round selection and guaranteed contract, something players do not necessarily get in the second round.

The Xaverian High School product found immediate success his first season in a Panther uniform in 2003. Midway through the season he supplanted Toree Morris as the starting center and immediately began wreaking havoc on the opposition. He averaged 10.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest en route to Big East Freshman of the Year and third-team all-Big East status while leading his team to its third straight conference regular season title.

That year, he also exploded for 60 blocks, which, when added to his 50 the following season, helped propel him to sixth among all-time Pitt players in career-blocked shots. Only seven other Panthers have ever surpassed 100 blocks in a career.

Reflecting Taft’s strong play was Pitt’s overall success that season, a 31-5 campaign that saw the Panthers reach the Big East championship for the fourth-straight season and the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 Round for the third year in a row. Although the Panthers bowed out to Oklahoma State in the third round, the pieces appeared to be in place for Pitt and Taft, to enjoy breakout seasons in 2004-2005. The early part of that season helped fuel that speculation.

The Panthers began the year by feasting on weaker non-conference opponents and seemed like an offensive force to be reckoned with. Eighteen points and 11 rebounds in a blowout win over Coppin State proved to be Taft’s strongest showing early on. A monster game in the team’s regular-season finale, a road win at Notre Dame to secure a bye in the conference tournament was statistically his best performance of the season. Taft poured in a career-high 26 points shooting a career-best 12-of-17 to go along with 11 rebounds and four blocks to motivate the Panthers.

In between those games, however, is where he struggled, and where his sophomore campaign began to flow opposite the direction most predicted. While his scoring increased slightly, to 13.3 points per contest, and his rebounding clip remained stagnant, his turnovers went up, his assists went down and his minutes fluctuated. While he started all 29 Pitt games, he was pulled on occasion toward crunch time, prompting some to question his heart and work ethic.

His struggles to elevate his game mirrored those of a Pitt team that rose to as high as No. 7 in the national polls after bolting to a 10-0 start but failed to hold on. A stunning home loss to Bucknell put the Panthers on tilt, and head coach Jamie Dixon’s squad struggled to a 10-9 finish and first-round NCAA Tournament exit, a 79-71 defeat at the hands of Pacific.

Shortly after his team’s exit, and his being named a Big East Honorable Mention recipient, Taft made himself eligible for the draft. He immediately signed with an agent, meaning a return to Pitt was never an option, although many, including Bilas, suggested it would have helped him immensely.

Taft signed a multi-year contract with the Golden State Warriors on Aug. 4. The terms of the contract were not disclosed.