Prospect Complexity: Taylor Hendricks
Taylor Hendricks is special. The biggest riser in the draft, going from a fringe first-rounder to a top 10 lock, is a plethora of tools that Hendricks possesses that makes him desirable to rebuilding teams and contending teams.
Hendricks was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school, attending Calvary Christian Academy out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Per MaxPreps, Hendricks averaged 15 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.9 blocks per game. He was a great 3pt shooter, shooting 41% his junior year, and 38% his senior year (increased volume). At 6’9” Hendricks was a two-way force, renowned primarily for his defense.
In his first regular season game with UCF, Hendricks filled the stat sheet with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks in a double-overtime thriller. The stat sheet alone describes the extensiveness of Hendricks’ utility on the floor. Watching the game, it’s clear Hendricks has the height and length, but the balance, coordination, and strength were undeveloped. He’d lose footing on spin moves, trip into defenders on drives, was easily moved from his spots in the paint, and his overly active feet made him susceptible to sudden changes in direction, making it easy for guards to blow by. All in all, it was far from perfect, but the making of a star prospect was there. Hendricks finished the season averaging 15.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 0.9 steals, while shooting a noteworthy 39.4% 3pt, on 58.9% TS. He’s one of ten freshmen to average at least 15ppg this season, and the only one to average at least 15ppg and 1.5 blocks per game this season.
What made Hendricks so effective this season offensively is his performance as a play finisher, in tandem with his raw yet quickly developing shot creation. At 6’9”, 210-lbs, Hendricks fits the mold of a PF, but UCF had no issue using him as a small-ball big, thanks to his 7’0” + wingspan. The shot-making at his position allows for effective spacing, enhancing the quality of shots not only for himself, but the team. He doesn’t have outlier explosiveness, but his massive wingspan gives him an edge against defenders his height and taller, frequently shooting above them on spot-up shots. With the expanded spacing in the NBA, having someone at the four/five like Hendricks who can stretch the defense with their perimeter scoring is deadly.
Hendricks still has areas to grow as a shot-maker, the largest being his balance and strength. His jumper off the dribble is quite inconsistent, and despite improvements, Hendricks struggles to create separation on his own around the perimeter. Even in the post Hendricks’ lack of strength is a liability at times.
Nonetheless, Hendricks' applicability around the floor makes him one of the most dynamic prospects in the class. He has the perimeter scoring, but he has the interior scoring as well. Hendricks was a mixed bag from the midrange, shooting above average (on small volume) from the left short-corner and right elbow while shooting well below average from the right short-corner and left elbow. Hendricks’ lack of balance and core strength tethered him from finding any consistency with his off-the-dribble middies. His footwork was also an issue, seldomly did Hendricks get his feet and body square to the basket off the dribble, particularly as he was dribbling east-west. In the paint is where he had the most success. He shot 52.3% from the paint (non-restricted area), +11.1% D-1 average, and 65.7% from the restricted area, +3.3% D-1 average. The non-restricted paint touches stand out, as young prospects typically struggle on those close twos. Hendricks has solid touch on his quick turnaround leaners/floaters, something he resorts to quite often. Coming downhill, Hendricks is a good finisher, regularly drawing contact.
Hendricks offensively struggles the most as a post-scorer. He doesn’t have the physical tools yet to over-power/out-position defenders. His post possessions typically end in him flailing his arms looking for contact. The possessions can get ugly when he’s forced baseline. He’s simply too weak at his height to do anything. He shot 40% on layups in the halfcourt, well below average. It’s unlikely Hendricks becomes an efficient scorer from the post, as teams will focus his game on threes and dunks, but in the slight chance he could, Hendricks could become a star.
As a passer, Hendricks is serviceable for his role, averaging 1.4 assists per game. Most of his playmaking comes from offensive rebounds and finding cutters from the top of the key off the dribble. He’s not a short roll guy, nor is he going to make complex reads as a ball-handler, but he can recognize off-ball movements from his teammates and make the pass. There are a few times he’s punished teams bringing in help from the weak side corner and hitting his teammate for an open corner three.
Offense, however, isn’t the real reason why Hendricks has immense upside. Hendricks is an elite defensive prospect. He has the rare quality of being a tenacious rim protector, a help defender, and a POA defender. His capacity as a rim protector at 6’9” has bolstered his draft stock more than anything. Hendricks averages 1.7 blocks per game, making him one of four freshmen since 1992 to shoot ≥39% 3pt (minimum 100 total attempts), while averaging ≥1.5 blocks per game, joining Kevin Durant, Chet Holmgren, and Tyler Lydon. He’s not a traditional, roaming rim protector, but rather a help-side blocker. He showed a good sense of timing and discipline on contests, ensuring he refrained from fouling or being baited into fouling. This quality shows up in his transition defense, as he’s able to shut down 2-on-1s and block easy layups from behind. Even in the paint, he’s shown good judgment on contests. There is an abundance of moves players must manipulate defenses as they go up for layups, from hop-steps to shot fakes. Not often did Hendricks fall for these. He’s even blocked a few jumpers, demonstrating his absurd length.
As a POA defender, Hendricks has his struggles, but the flashes are high. His feet are quite active on-ball, making him susceptible to quick changes in direction, especially if he’s guarding close-up out on the 3pt line. In turn, those active feet allow him to beat players to spots, shutting down drives before they get to the paint. In general, Hendricks has great lateral movement, doing a fantastic job of using his body as he slides instead of his hands. Not only does this keep him from getting into foul trouble, but it keeps his hands available to block shots. At UCF, Hendricks is legitimately guarding 1-5, and he’s arguably a stronger defender guarding 1-3 than he is 3-5. Hendricks doesn’t have the build to maintain pressure on larger forwards and centers. As he fills out his frame, he’ll expand his role, but coming into the league, he’ll be assigned to smaller wings.
Rebounding has also been a bit of a weakness for Hendricks. He’s averaged 7.0 rebounds this season, which is good, but watching his games, he should’ve averaged at least 8. The two big issues are his box outs and vertical. As much as he’s good with timing blocks, it’s surprising to see how unwilling he is to fight for a rebound. He doesn’t box out too well, and he isn’t one to fight in the air for a rebound. Plainly, he’s liable to give up winnable boards if contested. Relative to his other qualities this is minuscule, but it’s important to note if NBA teams are looking to play him at the five.
Overall, Hendricks is a prospect with a ton of two-way promise. Teams can use him as a 3&D wing, but his ceiling calls for a bigger role than a plug & play wing. There’s only been a handful of freshmen prospects that did what he’s done. Almost all of them are stars in the NBA.