NBA Comparison: Pascal Siakam

Strengths: Hendricks is a slender 6’9 215 PF/C prospect who has a good combination of size, mobility and athleticism to fit in different roles in the frontcourt … Has some versatility offensively, and has the potential to put up solid scoring production (15 ppg on nearly 48 FG%) without having to dominate the ball.. Finishes above the rim often and with good explosion & power, and shows promise converting through contact despite his thin frame (52 FG% inside the arc) … More of a face-up player than a true post-up guy, and has enough quickness to beat bigger players off the bounce with his 1st step … Decisive, unselfish decision-maker who takes what the defense gives him when it’s time to score or as a passer (1.4/1.4 A/TO) … Equipped with a soft touch and range out to the 3-point line (39 3FG% on over 4 3FGA), and is a knockdown shooter with his feet set particularly in and around the corners … Shouldn’t have many problems getting his shots off with his height and high release point … Not bad in the mid-post area either, and shows flashes of a turnaround jumper over his left shoulder … Can also extend and score over smaller forwards in the low post with his right-hand jump hook … Has good hands and a seemingly wide catch radius to snag inaccurate passes … Active player who competes hard and makes hustle plays; will work to get himself some easy points by cutting off the ball and crashing the offensive glass (2.4 ORPG) … Has potential as a screen-and-roll threat … Runs the floor like a deer and it’s easy to project him being an asset as a rim running scoring threat in transition … Has been outstanding defensively as a Fr., particularly off the ball, showing excellent overall instincts and timing as a rim protector (1.7 BPG) … Must be located by offensive players when slashing to the paint … Pretty rangy and can cover ground quickly to rotate and erase if his teammates get beat … Also does a really good job of positioning his arms straight up and keeping the shots he blocks in play, even when he makes emphatic rejections … Moves his feet well laterally and projects to be able to switch and guard on the perimeter nicely too; his size and timing at the point of attack was often bothersome for smaller players to try to shoot over at the college level…Active hands to deflects passes (1 spg) … Pretty good from the charity stripe (78 FT% on over 3 FTA) … Fits the bill as a modern frontcourt player with his 2-way ability and versatile skill set … A blossoming player who greatly exceeded expectations as a Fr., showing good consistency and becoming more assertive offensively as his season went along …

Weaknesses: Will need to add more muscle to his frame, especially if he wants to establish his low post game with more consistency … Couldn’t consistently establish post position in the AAC so it would be difficult for that to translate at the NBA level without getting stronger … Not much of a shot-creator offensively; ball-handling needs tuning up and he usually needs others to get him the ball to produce … Was seen as a combo forward offensively early on, especially in HS, but is a work in progress as a creator on the perimeter and seems to project as more of a PF who can play as a small ball C in a pinch now … Not an especially creative offensive player; can struggle if you take away the things he wants to do and make him a playmaker which could limit his upside as a scorer at the NBA level…Doesn’t create much space off the dribble and is a straight-line slasher almost exclusively…Adequate rebounder in his area, but not quite as good on the glass defensively as he is on the offensive end (4.6 DRPG, 7 RPG overall), especially considering some of his physical/athletic tools …

Overall: Hendricks is a Fr. who was a 4-star recruit out of southern Florida that picked Johnny Dawkins and UCF over some of the bigger in-state programs in the 2022 recruiting cycle…He was an immediate impact player in the AAC and among the very best Fr across the nation for a UCF team that started the season strong but ended up being an NIT team…Still, his production and physicals tools caught the eyes of numerous NBA scouts and execs as an outstanding, switchable defensive player who can match anywhere in the frontcourt and as a nice 3-point shooter and angry finisher at the rim to boot…He’s not polished on offense yet though, and needs to fine tune his shot-creating skills to play more as a SF as well as adding the physical strength to play more than spot minutes at the C spot…Still there is plenty to like about Hendricks, who should be able to earn minutes sooner or later given his versatility, shooting touch, athleticism and defensive acumen…He’s also a smart player with natural instincts and timing that you can’t always teach and he has played well enough that he should be in discussion to be a lottery pick in the 2023 Draft ..

Notes: Measured 6′ 8.25” barefoot, 8′ 11.00” standing reach, 213.6 lbs and a 7′ 0.50” wingspan and a 32.5 inch standing vertical and a 36′ inch max vertical at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 3/23/23