'Thrown into the fire': Hendricks flashes potential in first start as Jazz fall to Hornets

SALT LAKE CITY — Taylor Hendricks thought for a moment his eyes were playing tricks on him.

The Jazz coaches had put the scout up for the Charlotte Hornets on the screen, and his name was in the starting lineup.

Wait, that couldn't be right.

"I was like, 'Yo, is that my face?'" Hendricks remembered thinking at the moment.

It sure was.

On Thursday, in Utah's 115-107 loss to the Hornets, Hendricks made his first start for the Utah Jazz.

Things have moved fast for the No. 9 pick in last year's draft. In early February, he was more or less a permanent fixture in the G League; two weeks later, he was an NBA starter.

"I think it's a good opportunity for Taylor to take on the responsibilities on the defensive end," Jazz coach Will Hardy said of the decision. "I think there's nothing like being thrown into the fire and guarding some of the top players."

Hardy said it also gives Hendricks a chance to play off Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George, something he hopes will help him settle in offensively.

So how did it go?

As for the game, the Jazz lost their fifth straight contest, all of which have come since Utah made its deadline moves to make room for Hendricks. The Jazz committed too many turnovers (19) and the Hornets were 20-of-42 from 3-point range — not usually a winning combination.

Still, the Jazz were in position to win as they entered the fourth quarter, and Hendricks played a part in that. The third quarter on Thursday, even, may have been his best stretch as a pro.

He scored all 12 of his points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbed four of his nine rebounds. He crashed the glass for tip-ins, made a move in the paint for a short hook shot and even hit a corner triple.

Most importantly, the Jazz turned a 4-point halftime deficit into a 5-point lead.

"I thought the way that he attacked the glass kind of ended up helping him get into the flow of the game," Hardy said. "So there's a lot for him to build on going into Sunday's game."

Those moments are what the Jazz are looking for with Hendricks in the lineup. The team made its deadline trades to give him space to grow as a player, and Thursday was just the latest step.

Was it all good? Hardly.

He struggled to start the game; he gave up too much space to Brandon Miller, who got some clean looks as a result; and he went 0-for-3 in the first half while trying to find some sort of rhythm on the offensive end.

But once he found it, he showed some intriguing potential.

"Everybody's story is different," George said. "He waited his turn, made his way into the starting lineup. Now, it's all about how can we play off each other. … It's gonna be cool; I'm excited. The flashes that we have, once we get those consistent, I think it's real scary."

So what were those flashes?

"Just him staying in front of the ball, making the play on the ball above the rim, blocking shots, knocking down open shots. … He got game, so everything else will come into play," George said. "If he's active, I feel like our team goes to a whole 'nother level. So we just got to continue to instill that in his mind that when you're active when you're motors going, the team will elevate."

The Jazz outscored the Hornets by 10 points in Hendricks' 26 minutes, which was a team-high plus/minus. Even in the loss, it was a performance he could build off, and there's plenty of space to grow.

Hardy mentioned, defensively, there are a lot of things technique-wise that he needs to improve. He said Hendricks needs to clean up his pick-and-roll coverages and realize how much space he's giving up to shooters.

All in all, though, it was a night he could feel good about; and the same goes for Brice Sensabaugh.

The rookie guard also got his first taste of rotation minutes Thursday. He finished with 7 points on 3-of-6 shooting in 13 minutes, including a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer that put the Jazz up by 5.

Like Hendricks, though, Hardy said Sensabaugh still needs to build the right habits to be productive on the defensive end, but the Jazz are giving their young players a chance to fail, to learn and to develop.

It's early in the process, but Thursday showed steps have been made.

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