The Utah Jazz knew what they reeled in when they traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. A two-way big who covers a lot of ground on defense while an excellent inside-out connector piece to their primary scorers on offense. There's a lot to like about what the Jazz could look like with JJJ fully integrated, but everyone knows that he came at a price.
When the full details of the trade came out, the first conclusion from the package the Jazz sent to the Memphis Grizzlies is that they gave up their best draft assets. That is still true a month later, but Taylor Hendricks has also emerged as a potential building block for the Grizzlies' future.
Since getting moved to the Grizzlies, Hendricks has started to come into his own, averaging nearly 11 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks while shooting 49% from the field 41.3% from three in nearly 24 minutes a game.
Hendricks showed the good stuff during the Grizzlies game vs. the Los Angeles Clippers. Not only did he look physically well, but he looked confident and knew exactly what his role was. He was a swiss army knife, or in other words, pretty much everything a team like the Grizzlies would want after trading a player like Jackson.
The Jazz should be ecstatic for Hendricks
The kind of player he's turning into with the Grizzlies looks exactly like the player the Jazz had in mind when they drafted him back in 2023. His devastating leg injury from a year and a half ago got in the way, which meant his recovery was going to take time on top of his raw talent.
There was no telling if he would ever get over that hump in Utah, as even before the JJJ trade, it was clear that they were going to flip the switch next season. Now that he's getting the opportunity he deserves in Memphis, he's showing very encouraging signs of the player he can be. He may not be a Jazzman anymore, but everyone should be happy to see this production from him.
Technically speaking, the Jazz won't really reap the rewards from the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade until next season while the Grizzlies are with Hendricks' emergence. Even so, parting ways with Hendricks was mutually beneficial for both sides, it seems.
Even so, Jazz made the right move
Hendricks could very well be the next face of the franchise for the Grizzlies. Obviously, no one should get ahead of themselves, as simply seeing him prove how talented he is is good enough as is for now. Even so, that's the price you pay for someone who solves a lot of your problems like Jackson will for Utah.
As promising as Hendricks is beginning to look, there's no telling if he will ever be on JJJ's level, and even if he was, how long it would take for him. Jackson is what he is, and at 26 years old, there's an argument that he might have another level to reach.
Hendricks absolutely deserves the shot he's gotten in Memphis and thrived in it, but that shouldn't detract from Utah's excitement for what Jackson will bring next season.