UCF Alum Settles In To New NBA Team
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Former UCF Knights forward Taylor Hendricks has reached the second stop of his NBA career.
On Feb. 4, Hendricks was one part of an eight-player deal between the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies. In exchange for forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr., a two-time all-star and the 2022-23 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and three other players, the Jazz sent the Grizzlies three future first-round picks and four players, including Hendricks.
Jazz Receive | Grizzlies Receive |
|---|---|
Jaren Jackson Jr. | Walter Clayton Jr. |
Jock Landale | Kyle Anderson |
John Konchar | Taylor Hendricks |
Vince Williams Jr. | Georges Niang |
Three Future 1st-Round Picks |
Hendricks spent three years with the Jazz, the team that drafted him ninth overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, making him the first Knight to be selected in the first round in program history. He has taken the court for Utah 76 times, which alone gives him the record for the most games played by a former Knight in the NBA, surpassing shooting guard Jermaine Taylor's 65. Taylor was also traded during his NBA career, getting sent from the Houston Rockets to the Sacramento Kings in 2010.
During his tenure with Utah, Hendricks shot 44% from the field and 75.4% from the free-throw line, averaging 6.2 points per game. He also averaged 3.9 rebounds per game.
Since his arrival with the Grizzlies, Hendricks has played in four games, all of them on the road. While he also did not get the starting nod in any of them, he still averaged 21.8 minutes per game. His most standout performance was his third, in which he recorded his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Hendricks spent just one season with the Knights before declaring for the NBA Draft. He ended up playing for the third-most single-season minutes in program history en route to All-American Athletic Conference Second Team and All-Freshman selections. His 59 blocks also tie for the eighth-most in a season in program history, and his 36.4% shooting from three is the 10th-highest of any Knight with a minimum of 100 attempts in program history.
Stepping back from overall records, Hendricks' accomplishments also put him among the most prolific freshmen in UCF program history. He holds the program freshman records in points, field goals, rebounds and free throws, all of which are designated in a freshman record book that bears his name.
Hendricks has just under two months remaining of this NBA season with the Grizzlies sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference, just 5.5 games behind a spot in the NBA Playoffs' play-in games.
Ironically, Hendricks' debut in Memphis' FedEx Forum in a Grizzlies uniform comes against his former team, the Jazz, on Friday at 7 p.m.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
Three Games UCF Must Win To Punch NCAA Tournament Ticket
How UCF Hoops Turned A Double-Digit Lead Into Third Straight Loss
Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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