Taylor Hendricks hints at improvement in NBA Summer League

Overcoming the low points

When it comes to the reputation of a public figure, Quinn XCII offered a wise quip when he said, “The highs don’t stand a chance against the lows.” The same can be said about the public perception of a professional basketball player, and in the case of Taylor Hendricks, the lows of his summer league have forced his followers to view every victory, no matter how small, with a large dose of doubt.

While his Summer League highs were indeed high—the former No. 9 overall pick out of the University of Central Florida scored 23 points in his game against the Toronto Raptors Summer League team thanks to fantastic efficiency—his lows were troubling for those who had hoped he would make significant progress after his rookie season.

In every solid game Hendricks has had, he has offset any positive momentum with a disappointing performance. He has collected 3, 8 and 8 points while scoring 18 and 23 points on efficient shot distribution. In his Heat against the Raptors, he shot nearly 100%.

Fair or not, the second-year forward’s uninspiring performances have cast a dark shadow over any positive performance. Is it fair to draw conclusions about Hendricks’ development, or are we jumping the gun at the starting line of a marathon?

WRITE SOMETHING INTERESTING HERE. Let’s take a closer look at what Taylor Hendricks showed in this year’s Summer League.

Reasonable expectations

The development of a player can be a difficult balancing act and rarely follows a straight line. Hendricks joined