Utah Jazz's Will Hardy Hyped After Taylor Hendricks’ Career Night

While the Utah Jazz weren't able to get it done at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on their final game before a two-day Christmas break, dropping their fourth-straight game 128-137, it wouldn't be a night without a big performance from third-year forward Taylor Hendricks.

In a game where the Jazz were without two starting frontcourt members in Lauri Markkanen and Jusuf Nurkic, it was Hendricks who emerged as one of the most impactful names on the floor throughout the night.

In 27 minutes, Hendricks wound up putting together a career-high 21 points, four rebounds, and even three steals on the defensive end for what was pretty clearly his best game since returning from last year's season-ending leg injury.

Such an outing, even in a loss, got some notable praise from Jazz head coach Will Hardy at the podium post-game, crediting the excessive work the third-year forward has done to get to this point, but also the variety of looks he saw success in throughout the night.

"Yeah, it's definitely a moment where all of us who are around the team and the organization, we should all be really happy for Taylor," Hardy said post-game. "Just put in a ton of work."

"I thought the part that I liked the most is that it wasn't one thing," Hardy continued. " He's 7-10 from the floor, 2-4 from three, 5-5 from the free throw line. Like, there were some drives, there were some catch and shoots, got fouled a few times."

"It's nice to see all of the work that he's putting in pay off, and him figuring out different ways that he can impact the game on the offensive side.  I'm really happy for Taylor."

Will Hardy after Taylor Hendricks tallies a career-high 21 points pic.twitter.com/oQhxMCQsIs
— JP Chunga (@JP_Chunga) December 24, 2025

A Big Night for Taylor Hendricks' Development

Dec 15, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks (0) reacts after a three-point basket against the Dallas Mavericks during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Hendricks' appeal, since coming into the league three summers ago, has seen most of his appeal revolve around his ability as a versatile defender and a lengthy athlete. But the offensive side of the ball is really what came around for the former ninth-overall pick against Memphis.

Those types of flashes in being a two-way impact player can add a lot of optimism for what Hendricks can soon develop into for the Jazz's future endeavors. While his first couple of months have been a gradual ramp-up to get back to his pre-injury form, signs like these show that he's slowly, but surely, finding his way back to the top-ten prospect he was pictured as in 2023.

Taylor Hendricks: 𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕📜 pic.twitter.com/yRgEMocelB
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 24, 2025

The goal for Hendricks moving forward, though, is to find a bit more consistency with that impact on the offensive end, while continuing to grow as a quality NBA defender. But, with just over 50 games left on the calendar, and some positive momentum breaking his way, he might just have a clear runway to keep that ball rolling.

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