The Memphis Grizzlies acquired Taylor Hendricks this summer. He's proven his worth - and then some.
The Memphis Grizzlies picked up one of their biggest wins of the year on Wednesday. Nobody expected them to beat the Nuggets.
Cue the confusion that comes with winning games as a tanking team.
It's opposite world. Beating a team that's worse than you is unfortunate, but it happens. Beating a title contender is a missed opportunity. You were supposed to lose that game.
Yet...it's difficult to celebrate losses. It's instinctive to celebrate wins. Grizzlies fans should indulge themselves. If anything, fans of tanking teams should be paying attention to the development of their young players.
Luckily, one of their young players flashed significant potential in this contest.
That would be Taylor Hendricks.
In some ways, it feels odd to praise Hendricks. He was 6-of-18 from the field and 1-of-10 from deep.
That said, it wasn't Hendricks' offense that got people talking. It was his work on the other end of the floor. Very few players in NBA history have given Nikola Jokić as tough a time as he had in this contest.
Jokić turned the ball over 10 times. Hendricks had 6 steals and 3 blocks. Even if you didn't watch the game, you can put the puzzle together here.
If you did watch, you know what happened. Hendricks was hassling Jokić throughout the game. He forced several of his turnovers. Even if he didn't steal the ball directly, Hendricks' aggressive help defense was a problem for the former MVP.
It's the role Hendricks was born to play. Defense was always going to be his NBA calling card. On Wednesday, he proved that those scouting reports were accurate.
And this performance didn't come out of nowhere. Through 19 games this season, Hendricks is averaging 11.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. He's also averaging 1.0 blocks per game, shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from 3. The two-way production is real, and it has been consistent all season long.
Hendricks' defense was always going to be his foundation. His 3-point shooting is his swing skill. No matter how impactful a team defender he is, if he's not a somewhat consistent shooter, he won't be a starting-caliber player.
So, his 1-of-10 shooting from deep in this contest was noteworthy. That said, Hendricks isn't one of the league's most problematic floor spacers either. He's hitting 35.8% of his 3s in 2025-26, and 35.7% for his career. Given his defensive value, those numbers will keep him on the floor.
If he can force Nikola Jokić into 10 turnovers, it might be hard to take him off.