Yet he knows the trick by heart. “ You literally have to think about it every second “, formula Taylor Hendricks, who still got fooled. Luka Doncic had just received the racket head leather, and his grandfather's feint made the Jazz rookie fly away.
The Slovenian just had to maneuver into the heart of the opponent's racket and, with a “Euro-step”, make his way to the circle. The Mavs star finished with a mediocre first period on his scale, only 3/12 on shots. Taylor Hendricks, with his physical density and long arms, is no stranger to this poor ratio.
The second half was more delicate for him. More successful, Luka Doncic scored 20 points and ended up offering himself a new triple-double (29 points on 10/24 shots, 13 assists and 12 rebounds).
“ He is very intelligent. He will try to use his physique. I don't feel like he's more athletic or faster than me. But right now I feel like he's smarter than me », admits the 20-year-old player, taken over by KSLaccording to who one should be “ Perfect » when defending on “ Luke “.
The player he wants to be
The rookie is there for that: to learn. The Jazz having carried out a roster reshuffle in February, and having nothing more to play for in the rankings, the 9th choice of the last Draft gained responsibilities, as announced by his coach Will Hardy, to the point of settling in the five of Jazz.
Night after night, he regularly finds himself having to defend against the opponent's best attacker. “ He's starting to feel comfortable in the game, seeing things in the game, and the guys are starting to talk to him, to make him understand the meaning of the game. Him being here with us has been a good way to learn and try to understand things », remarks Jordan Clarkson.
His confidence increasing, the rookie communicates more with his coach, his teammates and becomes aware of his ability to help the team. He who, despite his status generated by his positioning in the Draft, had to wait many months in the G-League (15 points on average in 13 appearances) before having his chance at the next level. “ There was a lot of uncertainty. So it's easy to get discouraged “, he blurted.
No more getting discouraged today. Since the All-Star Game, in 13 appearances, each time as a starter, he averages nearly 9 points, with 7 rebounds and a block. Even if everything was not perfect against Luka Doncic, the former Central Florida player is positive: “ This is something I have to get used to because this is the player I want to be, someone who defends on the best players every night and takes on that challenge. »
| Taylor Hendricks | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2023-24 | UTH | 29 | 19 | 43.1 | 33.0 | 81.0 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 6.4 |
| Total | 29 | 19 | 43.1 | 33.0 | 81.0 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 6.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
