Through the first 20-plus games of the Utah Jazz‘s regular season, the minutes in the rotation for third-year forward Taylor Hendricks have been a bit up and down.
Hendricks has had nights being a starter in the frontcourt, he’s had nights with 20 minutes as a part of the second unit, and he’s had nights of being a healthy scratch or being sent to the G League.
Coming off his season-ending leg injury from last season, his third year wasn’t never expected to perfect. Rather than seeing a breakout campaign unfold for Hendricks to develop into a two-way star, this season was more about seeing Hendricks healthy and getting adjusted back to the NBA game after spending a year away.
Will Hardy Looking to Improve Taylor Hendricks’ Reaction
So for Jazz head coach Will Hardy, there’s a lot of value to be had in Hendricks’ G League minutes with the Salt Lake City Stars— largely to replicate the repetitions for the speed of an NBA game.
“Right now, the G League minutes are so important for Taylor because he needs as many repetitions as he can get at the reactive part of the sport that you just can’t replicate it when you miss a year,” Hardy said during his pregame presser before facing the OKC Thunder.
“This game is all reaction. Like, I couldn’t tell Taylor when he goes in the game, what movements he’s going to do and when, and he doesn’t know, either. So, getting your body used to making those decisions and reacting and fully trusting your body in those moments, I think, is where we’re trying to get to with Taylor.”
Hardy sees one massively valuable part of Hendricks getting G League minutes: in-game experience.
Dec 1, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks (0) warms up before the game against the Houston Rockets at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images
Hendricks is relatively inexperienced in the league despite being labeled a third-year forward. He has 56 career games since being selected in the top 10 of the 2023 draft, with his availability being up and down due to injury, or in the case of his first and third seasons, a lot of work in the G League.
Taylor Hendricks “Not Being Demoted” in G League
Those G League reps are notably important to hone that reaction time and IQ for Hendricks. As someone that projects to be a high-end, versatile wing defender, having those aspects in tune is critical to be the best possible player on that end of the floor, and without that quality, in-game experience, those abilities are tough to sharpen.
So rather than viewing those G League assignments as a “demotion” for Hendricks, Hardy sees it a bit differently. It’s a chance for him to develop even further.
“There’s conditioning, there’s feel for the ball, there’s all those things also, but I think Taylor’s in a good place right now. He’s not being demoted playing for the G League team. I see this as kind of an extension of his return to play.”
“We have 60 games left, so where Taylor is 20 games from now, could be somewhere totally different, but the G League is such a great tool, and we intend to maximize it when we can.
In due time, Hendricks will have the opportunity to hone into a strong rotational piece for the Jazz, and a nice asset for their defense. But it might just take a bit of extra patience to come to life.
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