Utah Jazz Lottery Pick Taylor Hendricks Says He Can’t Wait To Interact With Jazz Fans
Jun 22, 2023, 8:55 PM | Updated: Jun 26, 2023, 1:07 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz used the first of their three first-round picks to select UCF forward Taylor Hendricks with the 9th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Shortly after his selection, Hendricks called into the KSL Sports Live Draft Show to talk about his night and his future with the Jazz.
and with the 9th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, our guy, @tayxhendricks 🎉#TakeNote | #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/K6wbzki3rE
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) June 23, 2023
Hendricks couldn’t put his feelings into words. He compared the experience to being in a video game.
“It doesn’t even feel real,” Hendricks said. “It feels like I’m playing NBA 2K right now. I’m just excited.”
Hendricks said that he was appreciative and that the organization made him feel at home leading up to the draft.
Welcome to Utah @tayxhendricks 🎵#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/YfhpdBorJA
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) June 23, 2023
“They made me so comfortable,” Hendricks said. “I’m happy they pulled the trigger and picked me. I think I’m a great fit. Alongside Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, I block shots. I’m a big shooter as well. The Jazz like to run big lineups, I feel like I fit in.”
Hendricks went on to explain that he has a very outgoing personality and cant wait to interact with the Jazz fans.
“I like to bowl,” Hendricks said. “My personality is a little goofy. I have an outgoing personality and I love fans. I’m definitely going to be doing a lot of things with the fans, getting to know them while they get to know me.”
About Central Florida Forward Taylor Hendricks
Before even watching Hendricks it’s easy to recognize that the Knights freshman has one of the most impressive statistical profiles in all of college basketball as a scorer, rebounder, and shooter.
Standings 6-foot-9 with a 210 lbs frame, Hendricks has prototypical size for a modern big man and could potentially see time on the floor at all three frontcourt positions.
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From day one in the NBA, Hendricks will be a floor spacer who punishes defenses that sag off of him in the corners, while finishing above the rim as a backdoor cutter and in transition.
His smooth shooting stroke, mixed with his size will be a strong combo to keep him in the NBA well beyond his rookie contract.
Though it wasn’t his primary role in college, Hendricks showed rare flashes as a face-up threat taking his man off the dribble and finishing at the rim. With further development and improved NBA spacing, he could become more of a shot-creator than he was in college.
Have some questions surrounding Taylor Hendricks’ on-ball upside given his footwork, balance, and handle, but there were some nice flashes of shooting OTD that he showed this year where his high release made it tough for defenders to contest his shots pic.twitter.com/TwEpBeOROe
— Zach Milner (@ZachMilner13) May 1, 2023
While he averaged only 1.4 assists per game, Hendricks has a knack for making quick passes near the rim to teammates cutting to the basket. There’s a strong likelihood that the lack of talent around him at UCF hurt his assist numbers.
Defensively, Hendricks offers excellent length, especially near the rim where he showed strong instincts as a shot-blocker swatting 1.7 shots per game. The Florida native gets off the floor quickly to challenge shots at the rim and does so with excellent verticality.
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Due to his length and athleticism, Hendricks projects as a potentially high-level switch defender on the perimeter, something every team in the NBA is looking for.
Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.
