Taylor Hendricks, a freshman University at Central Florida (UCF), has impressed as a possible one-and-done pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Hendricks, a 6-foot-9 player with a season average of 15.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.7 blocks, and just under one steal, has become an intriguing high-impact choice and a lottery pick.
Hendricks is considered to be one of the top shooting forwards in the whole class, averaging 4.6 attempts per game and 41 percent from outside the arc for the Knights.
Although there isn’t much of a shot variety, he does have a clean and high release, so he won’t require much tweaking to thrive at the next level.
His scoring and defense abilities may help him become an automatic high-impact draft pick. He does an excellent job making use of his frame, acting effectively as a rim protector and as a secondary shot blocker.
Furthermore, while rotating onto smaller guards, Hendricks has great point-of-attack defense and adaptability.
Hendricks has had trouble developing this season due to sloppy ball handling, but as a power forward in the current NBA, he won’t have to worry about it. His versatility will make him an attractive option in the second half of the 2023 NBA Lottery. He can easily fit into a variety of combination slots.
He has room for improvement and development as a player, over the course of what is certain to be a lengthy and fruitful career thanks to his floor-spacing abilities and two-way upside.
Hendricks, a big-time player with first-round promise, has mostly gone unnoticed while playing at UCF.
He has a nice shooting stroke and tremendous wing size, with excellent touch on his jumper, and has a high ceiling for his 3-point shooting at the next level.
Hendricks is a bouncy athlete with a strong physique who stands up off the floor with ease at 6-9 and is a real above-the-rim player.
For a player of his stature, he has excellent mobility and comfortably passes the eye test. But his real test will be the grade from the NBA if he is worthy of a draft pick.
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