Taylor Hendricks is finally coming out of his shell and gaining confidence in the NBA.
The Jazz rookie has had a learning curve during his debut season in the NBA, but the results are coming.
Taylor Hendricks is finally coming out of his shell and gaining confidence in the NBA.
The Jazz rookie has had a learning curve during his debut season in the NBA, but the results are coming.
He was unquestionably a talented basketball player, but he lacked the refinement of some of the other prospects in his class. He didn’t attend one of the top schools, wasn’t as decorated, and didn’t have the same kind of widely recognized highlight videos as other players. However, as the year continued at UCF, scouts and NBA officials began to take note of Hendricks.
Hendricks’ innate talent and intuition, combined with his size, length, and athleticism, distinguished him. Some of the game’s best thinkers recognized Hendricks’ potential for greatness, but it would take time, patience, and confidence. It would imply that Hendricks must transition from not seeing the NBA as a possibility to being confident and believing that he belongs in the NBA.
Developing a sense of belonging can be tough for an introvert, and it may take longer for a naturally reticent person to open up and reveal their individuality. In addition to being a shy guy who takes time to warm up to others, Hendricks was dealt a number of setbacks during his first few months with the Jazz.
First, he missed the Summer League. The management wanted to be cautious after Hendricks sustained a minor injury during the predraft process, so he was sidelined for portion of the summer. Then, as training camp began, he realized that, while he had been the star of his high school and college teams, the NBA would be a proving ground where he was no longer at the top of the food chain. Instead, he’d have to wait in the wings and become a sponge.
“Going from college to this, not being the main guy, it’s about having to sit back and watch a little bit more, learn a little bit more,” he added. “Because even though it’s basketball, it’s a whole new game.”
Arriving with the Jazz meant Hendricks would have all the time and opportunity in the world to study this new game. No one was going to rush him, but the team’s patience would provide its own set of obstacles.
Hendricks began his NBA career in the G League, and while there are success stories to be told about the NBA’s development clubs, all too frequently players’ careers die when they are not called up from the G League. With a new class of draft prospects arriving each year, guys who are slogging away in the G League risk being forgotten or simply aging out.
Of course, the Jazz staff informed Hendricks and his fellow rookie, Brice Sensabaugh, that they were engaged in their futures. The team wanted them to focus on their bodies and core skills while also learning the Jazz system in an environment that would encourage their development rather than highlight their inadequacies.
The challenge is maintaining confidence in the messaging while the NBA affiliate club is playing without you, trusting that they may not require your unrefined services now, but will in the future.
