Jazz coach Will Hardy has a ‘lot of hope’ for rookie Taylor Hendricks

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ORLANDO — Taylor Hendricks solely had seven tickets to offer out to Thursday’s sport in opposition to the Magic. He may have used a bit extra.

“There was loads right here tonight,” the Jazz rookie ahead mentioned when requested what number of pals or household had been on the sport.

Hendricks performed an NBA sport in his residence state for the primary time Thursday, scoring 10 factors and grabbing seven rebounds in Utah’s 115-107 loss to the Magic.

The sport was performed about 15 miles from the place he made a reputation for himself at UCF. It was there he burst onto NBA radars, showcasing a flexible defensive sport with some offensive intrigue combined in.

However there was little question he was a uncooked prospect. So at first of the season, even he did not suppose he can be within the place he discovered himself in on Thursday: beginning a sport in his residence state, and within the enviornment he had watched NBA video games in as a spectator.

“Two years in the past … we had been watching the Magic sport,” he mentioned. “Two years later, I am taking part in in opposition to them.”

Life can come quick.

And it has for Hendricks during the last month. The Jazz eased him into the NBA world, letting him get his toes moist within the G League to start out. In his first three months, he was solely known as as much as the large membership in dire conditions. Now, he is showcasing that very same intriguing potential he flashed when he was a UCF Knight.

“He is taken an enormous leap when it comes to his accountability,” Jazz coach Will Hardy mentioned. “You are within the G League for a lot of the 12 months and then you definately’re a starter. He is a child that desires to win, he desires to assist. He is very coachable; he lets me coach him exhausting.”

Hendricks is exhibiting an increasing number of that he can deal with that elevated function, too. The sport has slowed down for him. In his first two video games following the commerce deadline strikes that cleared a runway for him, Hendricks was frantic with the ball and sometimes misplaced on the defensive finish.

Now, he is recognizing spacing and reads and letting his athleticism and size have an effect on the sport.

There are nonetheless loads of errors, although. On Thursday, for instance, he bought beat by Paolo Banchero down the baseline a number of instances; that is simply a part of the expansion course of. The Jazz have put him on a wide range of completely different gamers during the last three weeks, and let him, basically, sink or swim.

“Taylor competes each single evening,” Hardy mentioned. “That is the half for me that offers me numerous hope for him, as a result of I do know that when he goes within the sport, he is gonna give most effort. He makes vitality performs. His size and athleticism appear to point out up in each sport, however I feel that there is a lot for him to study from this sport, as a result of I do not anticipate that Taylor’s gonna have a bodily power benefit on each participant that he guards from right here on out; and that takes somewhat bit completely different method.”

So Thursday was a sport that may present loads of good studying moments on movie for Hardy to assessment with the rookie, one thing Hendricks absolutely embraces. He hasn’t shied away from how inexperienced he’s as a participant.

He got here to UCF as a four-star recruit and ranked outdoors of the highest 50 nationally. These aren’t the gamers anticipated to be one-and-done first-round picks. He went on a meteoric rise into the lottery; that rise, although, did not imply the educational stopped.

“The way in which the world works now, suggestions is adverse loads, particularly publicly,” Hardy mentioned. “And as a coach, typically you need to actually be clear to the gamers that I am not one other critic. I am not anyone that is occurring TV speaking trash about you. I am making an attempt that will help you. It does not imply that I’ll let you know the whole lot you wish to hear; a part of serving to you is telling you the issues that you simply’re not doing nicely and that you need to appropriate.”

And a part of studying is accepting the place you could be higher. Hardy appreciates the humility Hendricks has proven this season in that regard. The Jazz see him as a significant a part of their future; he is simply not that participant but. The objective is to get him there as rapidly as they’ll collectively.

“The truth that he has sufficient humility to acknowledge he would not know the whole lot makes it simple to teach him day-after-day as a result of I do not fear about hurting Taylor’s emotions,” Hardy mentioned. “I do know that he understands that my job is to teach him exhausting and that I am demanding these items of him, as a result of I feel he could be actually good. It is my job and our job as a employees to attempt to assist them get there as quick as doable.”

As his time at UCF confirmed, issues can occur for him fairly quick.

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