Taylor Hendricks has been a big surprise this season. He’s come out of nowhere as a productive player. He was pretty unknown as he's a freshman at UCF that wasn’t highly touted. Although the team has been bad, Taylor’s upside has been able to shine through and past their mediocre record. He came into the season hot and quickly established himself as the most talented and productive player on the roster. He’s been able to single-handedly win them some games through scoring surges which have kept them afloat as a fun team near 0.500. He’s got really tantalizing length and nice shooting touch which when paired together, forms a really interesting prospect. He doesn’t like to keep the ball in his hands very long, so he has a very quick yet accurate trigger for his height and age. He’s been shooting an impressive 38% from deep. Albeit most of that percentage are catch-and-shoot threes, it is still impressive. His range seems to be pretty legit. What’s interesting but also somewhat reassuring about his shot is the movement he does when he releases. He kind of jerks himself back so that his hands are a few inches back from where they should be when he’s jumping up. This is something I think helps to seek him as a guy that can get it off from deep. He is mostly used as a shooting outlet rather than a shot maker. He is also sometimes used as a cutter but he isn’t a great one and this isn’t something he starts off by himself. Every time he cuts it’s usually off of the ball and is either a very short cut or a catch from a lob. It is worrying he doesn't try to create for himself more considering his situation but I wouldn’t call it a detriment. He works well in the pick and roll which warrants more of a case for him to be occasionally viewed as a small ball center. Teams often double-team him because of the weaker threats around him, and when he doesn’t decide to pass he usually just shoots it. I would like to see more plays where he dribbles out to try to find a better, more comfortable look but so be it. The reason he might not do this more often might be due to a weak handle or position on the court. A lot of his threes come from the corner which is a nice skill to have, but I want to see more dynamic plays from him that he initiates himself. The one problem I do have with him outside of just a weak competition level, is his ball handling. Although he does have a solid variety of post moves in his bag, he doesn’t seem to be able to set himself up for shots, especially when it comes to looks on the perimeter. If at any point he could gain some comfortability when handling the ball and creating his shot, I’d be willing to draft him a lot higher due to his potential star upside. Defensively he’s super fun and versatile. He has better feet on that end of the floor and knows how to stay with his man yet watch the offense to see if they are setting up looks. Taylor is not the best at blocking passing lanes but is good at reading them in a way where he sees the shot that's being set up and figures out when he can come in to block it. He’s got a wiry yet somewhat burly frame. His wide yet active stance keeps him impactful when it comes to coverage on the perimeter. This ability gives his team flexibility when it comes to switchability on that end of the floor. He can’t really disrupt guards but he can definitely contain them in small spurts because of his length. If he put on a bit more muscle he could be used as a really interesting small ball 5. He has shown an ability to be positionally versatile at UCF, as they've used him a small amount at almost every position. This wide range of uses might be due to weak roster construction but he does have some intriguing qualities when it comes to switching positions in bursts. He also comes in for help when needed. His athleticism and awareness make it so he’s effective as a weak-side shot blocker. He always keeps himself positioned to the body handler so that he can try to come in at any moment. I really like him as a nice plug-in piece that can impact both ends of the floor. Although he hasn’t been able to prove himself against stronger opponents yet, I think this is more due to availability rather than capability. He’s been one of the most off-ball players out of the players at the top of the draft but you just have to buy into the length and versatility. He’s a lot of what you want in a modern forward and I think he does have the upside to be more than what he is now.

Hendricks is a very underrated prospect at a smaller brand in UCF and as a fan of the Knights, I LOVE HIM. He's insanely talented and is probably the best freshman in the AAC not named Jarace Walker. He's keeping an injury-riddled UCF team competitive. He's a solid shooter and has a good jumper. He's got a decent frame. He's a decent athlete with good bounce and can play above the rim. He's a great 3 & D forward. He’s a very versatile defender and is up there with the best of them in the class. He's an elite rim defender.

High upside wing who can play spot minutes at the 5 due to his length, athleticism, and shot blocking ability. A springy athlete who can finish above the rim off lobs or offensive rebounds. Quick release shooting stroke and good lift on his shot allows him to get off contested three pointers. Knows how to play at the dunker spot or spot up on offense. Has upside as a post scorer. Needs to improve ball handling and shot decisions to become more of a go to option on offense. Terrific wing defender but needs to improve on making cheap fouls.

Small ball 5 potential High iq defender can switch, quick feet good athlete rise up badge ,lobs cant shoot over him ,good cutter 39% catch and shoot, high arc, good in corners,flares clutch shot blocker,chasedown , will jump with you, rotates well from help side not a good finisher, tries to go around, bad touch around the rim with speed not good with left, not a great playmaker average at best average rebounder 2022 4 Star Number 84 on 247 Number 59 on ESPN