After jetting from MSU following his sophomore season to taste the NBA’s glory, Marcus Taylor was released by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.

Taylor was selected by the Timberwolves with the 52nd overall pick in the draft. He averaged 3.3 points, 2 assists and 16 minutes per game in four preseason contests with Minnesota.

In two seasons with MSU, the 6-foot-3 guard emerged as a leader at the point-guard position. Taylor averaged 12.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in 59 collegiate contests.

In his sophomore season, Taylor was named first-team all-Big Ten by conference coaches. For the entire season, Taylor scored 17.7 points per game while adding 5.3 assists per contest. In conference play, Taylor led the league in scoring and assists with 17.7 and five, respectively.

He became the second player in Big Ten history to lead the conference in scoring and assists in the same year.

In his freshman season, Taylor played in 30 games, nine as a starter. He was the team’s fifth-leading scorer with 7.4 points. He also added 3.9 assists per contest. He averaged 6.8 points per game in Big Ten games.

Earlier this year, MSU basketball head coach Tom Izzo said he was surprised Taylor slipped that low in the draft.

“As far as the Timberwolves are concerned, this is their first-round pick,” Izzo said. “Flip (Saunders) is a very offensive coach and I think this is an offensive system that is perfect fit for Marcus.”