Taylor Hendricks just continues to amaze the Grizzlies fanbase since arriving in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade. It is never easy to lose a fan favorite like Jaren Jackson Jr., but there are still some early positives from the trade for the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies got three first-round picks, and it remains to be seen how they'll be used. With 13 first-round picks in the next seven years, the Grizzlies have serious flexibility for building a winning team again.
On the player side of things, it has been a very disappointing start for Walter Clayton Jr. in Memphis, especially as a shooter. However, Taylor Hendricks has gotten off to a really promising start, and more people outside of Memphis are finally starting to notice his performances.
ESPN picked Taylor Hendricks as the Grizzlies' unsung hero
This week, ESPN did a set of power rankings and picked one unsung hero for each team. The following was said about the Grizzlies:
"A tank job won't feature many unsung heroes, but forward Taylor Hendricks has turned into a solid contributor for the Grizzlies."Michael C. Wright
That sentence pretty much summed up the Grizzlies' current situation to perfection. They have gone just 4-11 since the All-Star Game and are doing their best to improve their draft position for this year's stacked class. In most of the games they have competed well, but they currently lack size and the rotations do not reflect a team trying to win.
Despite all the losing, Taylor Hendricks has been a major bright spot and has shown what it takes to give the Grizzlies high-level performances on both ends of the floor.
Yesterday's performance was promising despite shooting struggles
Last night, the Grizzlies pulled off a surprising win, defeating the Denver Nuggets 125-118 at home. It was their first win since the March 1 victory against the Indiana Pacers. There were many promising individual performances, but Taylor Hendricks made a significant impact, especially on the defensive end.
When looking at the box score, one might think that Hendricks had a bad game as he shot 6 of 18 from the field and was only 1 of 10 on his three-point shots. Despite the shooting struggles, Hendricks still found a way to make a major impact. Hendricks had 6 steals and 3 blocks in just 24 minutes and played some incredible defense on Nikola Jokic.
Even though Hendricks has shot reasonably well since getting to Memphis, last night's performance bodes really well for his long-term future with the team. One of the key things the Grizzlies need to get right in the rebuild is finding guys that can make an impact even when shots don't go in.
Hendricks is clearly a future building block in Memphis
Hendricks had a gruesome injury last season and struggled to earn playing time with the Jazz this season before being traded. Ultimately, he has capitalized on his chances in Memphis and is starting to show signs of the player that got drafted 9th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.
While some expected Walter Clayton Jr. to be a building block in Memphis, it has been Taylor Hendricks that has stood out more since the trade. There is plenty of season left, but Hendricks is looking like a key building block for the Grizzlies as they rebuild.