Jazz Insider Hints at Coming Taylor Hendricks Move

Expectations were high for Taylor Hendricks when the Utah Jazz chose him No. 9 overall in the 2023 NBA draft. But due to a hamstring injury that prevented Hendricks from participating in this year's Summer League, the 19-year-old lottery pick is behind the eight ball as we inch closer to the regular season.

In two preseason games, Hendricks has only logged 17 minutes on the court and has looked like a player who’s still trying to figure things out. That said, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and Jazz fans should temper their outlook on the young rookie in his first year.

Jazz play-by-play broadcaster Craig Bolerjack shared his thoughts on what could be in store for Hendricks in his rookie campaign when he joined ESPN 700’s The Bill Riley Show.

“He’s a big body guy — I mean in sense of length, he’s a big body guy,” Bolerjack told Riley. “Not a lot of weight, but I think they like what he did in college—one year is just a 34-game sample size, Bill. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him jump in the G-League for a while to get the reps that he needs. A lot of players do, and it sounds cool—'Hey, look, I’m in the NBA, but I’m sitting on the bench, and I never get a chance to play.' That does you no good. The G-League is there for a reason.”

Craig Bolerjack reacts to the Jazz's first 2 preseason games against the Clippers https://t.co/tL7oilB93w
— ESPN 700 | 92.1 (@ESPN700) October 12, 2023

Spending some time in the G-League is just what Hendricks may need at this point in his career. Playing against NBA talent is a huge jump from the competition he was accustomed to playing for South Florida in the American Athletic Conference.

Hendricks' path to the rotation could be similar to the one that Ochai Agbaji took in his rookie year. Buried at the back of the bench, Agbaji was sent down to the G-League, where he played nine games for the Stars and was able to log 31 minutes per contest. Agbaji was able to find his footing with the Jazz later in the year when a path for consistent minutes opened up after the All-Star break.

Currently, Hendricks has no path to playing time. Kelly Olynyk and Luka Samanick are the backups to starting power forward John Collins and getting time at the backup small forward spot appears just as complicated.

Abaji, Talen-Horton Tucker, and Simone Fontecchio will be battling for those minutes. The way it’s shaping up, Hendricks’ stay with the Stars could be for a large portion of the season.

However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Hendricks is only 19, and there’s plenty to like in a player with his length and ability to stretch the floor.

Collins' contract potentially won’t come off the books until 2026, which puts Utah in a position to take it slow with a young prospect that Jazz fans should still have high hopes for.

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