Grizzlies: This is the time to figure out who Taylor Hendricks is
The Memphis Grizzlies should look to find out what 6'9" forward Taylor Hendricks can become within their new rebuild.
The Memphis Grizzlies acquired Taylor Hendricks in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade. Ever since his arrival in Memphis, I’ve been trying to figure out who he is and what his game can become.
And the Grizzlies will be using this time to figure out who Taylor Hendricks is, as well.
Hendricks was a one-and-done prospect out of UCF in the 2023 NBA Draft, getting selected with the 9th overall pick. He had intrigue in the pre-draft process.
From ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, who had him 4 on his NBA Draft 2023 big board, based off WAR projections:
As NBA teams scour the draft for players with length who can also shoot well enough to keep playoff defenses honest, Hendricks looks like an ideal fit. He made 1.8 3s per game at a 39% clip in his lone season at UCF while blocking 1.7 shots per game. Just three first-round picks in my database have made at least 1.5 3s and blocked at least 1.5 shots in their final college seasons: Santi Aldama, Donte Greene and Keegan Murray. Greene was the only one before Hendricks to do it as a first-year player.
No Ceilings’ Maxwell Baumbach said this about Taylor Hendricks in pre-draft:
Taylor Hendricks currently ranks eighth on my big board. Anything as high as #4 would be reasonable to me (though I don’t love the fit in Houston), and if he falls past #10, I will lose my mind. With Taylor Hendricks, you’re getting floor spacing, defensive versatility, and someone who moves the ball quickly while standing nearly 6’9”. Those types of players A) are coveted by every playoff team and B) tend to make a lot of money in their NBA careers.
From The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie’s Draft Guide, who had him 7th on his 2023 NBA Draft Big Board:
The number of players 6-foot-9 or taller who enter the league as plus defenders and plus shooters is extremely minimal. It’s Jabari Smith Jr., Franz Wagner, Trey Murphy III and Jaren Jackson Jr. since 2018. That’s why Hendricks is going to hear his name called in the lottery. It’s hard to see how this skill set fails, even with his faults. He does the three most important things a role player in the NBA can do: He shoots it well off the catch, he defends well in space and he plays well within help defensive concepts.
The vision hasn’t quite materialized, and it’s important to note that a major source of his struggles is likely from a brutal leg injury. Three games into his sophomore NBA season, he fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle. So from there, he’s looking to find his niche in the NBA while recovering from a severe lower body injury.
With that said, Taylor Hendricks has tools worth investing in, and he’s shown some intriguing skills through his first 9 games as a Grizzly. This time of the season should be used to see what he could become, as this Grizzlies team looks to formulate the vision for its next era.
I’ll start with the moments that first caught my eye with Taylor Hendricks: his defense. Let’s get into the exact play that sealed it for me:
Hendricks drew two turnovers from defending the primary ball handler at a high pick-up point. Both instances turned into transition offense. You don’t see that very often from 6’9” players, but it’s a tactic that can put a defense into disarray and force them into their sets later into the shot clock. Or, it could just lead to a turnover like it did in the two possessions.
Then, on another possession, he can deliver a block while serving as the 5-man defensively.
The role versatility for Hendricks is encouraging and intriguing, given his size. As the Grizzlies aim towards a rebuild and giving their young players minutes, they should continue to test him in these different roles.
Hendricks certainly has the chops and drive for it.
“I feel like I’m very talented in that regard, and I show a lot of effort on that side of the ball,” Hendricks said. “I can help this team with my defensive versatility.”
The main trait fueling this component of his game is his agility in space. He has the lateral quickness to stay in front of initiators and drivers. At the same time, he’s shown good timing to generate stocks. He’s been an infrequent shot-blocker, as he’s had a 1.0 block rate in non garbage-time minutes, per Cleaning the Glass. However, he ranks in the 91st percentile among bigs in steal percentage (1.9%).1
When the roster is more full from a health standpoint, Hendricks’ defensive versatility is his ticket on the floor. It not only helps throw different looks at the opponent, but it also helps cause chaos and create transition offense.
“Taylor’s been very disruptive defensively,” Tuomas Iisalo said. “He’s used that to his advantage and to the team’s advantage in order to create deflections and steals.”
Offensively, Hendricks is projecting more as a play-finisher rather than a playmaker. There’s still utility to that, but he has to find the efficiency levels to justify the low volume of playmaking production.
His immediate pathway to consistent offense is through the hustle elements that resonate more with a big man:
Crashing the glass, running the floor, and rolling to the rim.
Hendricks has shown a solid motor on the offensive glass. Since moving to Memphis, he holds an offensive rebounding percentage of 6.6 off missed field goals — per Cleaning the Glass — which could be a career-best mark. Again, it doesn’t pop off as a big man, but when he shifts back to a forward spot, it’s a skill that could shine a bit more.
Hendricks has run the floor well since coming to Memphis. His transition offense shines when creating defensive events, but he’s a player that can run the floor while toggling between the 4 and 5, which can create the speed advantage.
In Isalo’s heavy ball-screen offense, the 4’s and 5’s are often given ample opportunities to roll to the rim. While Hendricks needs to improve as a finisher to amplify this skill, his upside for progression lies within his ability to finish through contact — shown with his and-ones.
Hendricks has shown some ability to put the ball on the deck and create offense. I’m not as confident in it being a pathway to offense quite like the other three skills. However, it’s a component tied to a crucial development to his game: the outside shooting. Pre-injury, he shot 37.9 percent on catch-and-shoot three’s (140 attempts) as a rookie and 40.9 percent on them at UCF (132 attempts) — both are encouraging in terms of volume and accuracy. Right now, he’s only shooting 33.7 percent on three’s this season (101 attempts). Returning to his pre-injury shooting splits will raise his ceiling and unlock more elements of his game. In this instance, he can put the ball on the deck more when attacking closeouts.
If the pre-injury tape can pair with the flashes we’ve seen thus far, the Grizzlies can have an intriguing forward piece that can plug and play in many facets, as he sees himself as a guy that’s going to guard every position and knock down shots.
To answer the question of why I’m intrigued with wanting to see what Taylor Hendricks can be, lies within his versatility.
Granted, his shooting determines the extent of his versatility. Let’s unpack it though. A 6’9” forward with a 7’2” wingspan that can cover multiple positions, defend at high pick-up points, and create defensive events. That’s a great defensive piece to have on the roster. If he can find his niche offensively, then there’s something interesting to unpack.
The advanced metrics aren’t too kind to Hendricks. Inconsistent minutes, return from a brutal injury, and a new environment all serve as ingredients to this formula. However, can he lay down runways towards consistent minutes while stacking flashes on a more frequent basis? That’s what the remainder of this season should be about for Hendricks and the Grizzlies.
Hendricks could become a malleable piece for Memphis. He can run the 4 next to Zach Edey or another center. The Grizzlies would run lineups with Jaren Jackson Jr., Santi Aldama, and a center. Replacing Jackson with Hendricks provides a presence that would take on more perimeter-centric assignments — the former would often serve more as a rim-roamer rather than a stopper. If the Grizzlies want more speed, they can have Hendricks take on more 5-man responsibilities.
The Grizzlies have suddenly stacked more positional size between the 2 and 4 that allows for real interchangeability with its lineups — particularly with Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells, and GG Jackson. While he won’t play the 2, can Hendricks provide optionality by toggling between positions 3-5? The Grizzlies can realistically play 3 of them at a time without sacrificing size, spacing, or speed. There’s only one way to find out.
As the Grizzlies have a month and a half left in the season, they will be using this time to find out what their young players are capable of. This stretch is a big moment for Taylor Hendricks to showcase his versatility, and for the Grizzlies to test it.
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The “big” designation is more based off the Grizzlies’ roster construction rather than Hendricks’ game. Does it hint at his versatility? A little bit, but it the percentile number is likely pushed down when he plays more minutes as a forward. Still, it’s a positive stat that shines brighter when the Grizzlies trend smaller.
Ready to see him in roles with a true 5
Great article Parker. Let's hope the Grizz brass give him that runway. He's a unique player that absolutely could run with Edey at the 4,,,,,,