Menu

Richard Hendrix

Richard Hendrix profile
Drafted #49 in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Warriors
RCSI: 9 (2005)
Height: 6'8" (203 cm)
Weight: 250 lbs (113 kg)
Position: PF
High School: Athens High School (Alabama)
Hometown: Athens, AL
College: Alabama
Current Team: Le Mans
Win - Loss: 0 - 1

Articles

DraftExpress Overseas Free Agent Rankings: Players 1-12

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Dec 28, 2009, 01:14 am
Drafted in 2008 by the Golden State Warriors late in the second round after a pre-draft physical uncovered potential red flags in his knee, Richard Hendrix was unceremoniously dumped by Don Nelson when he found out that he shockingly is not a fit for his system in the least bit. Hendrix seemed to have made out just fine from the deal, pocketing a cool half a million dollars in guaranteed cash for under a month of service. He proceeded to join the D-League, where he looked somewhat disinterested at times, but still found a way to average nearly 15 rebounds per-40 minutes pace adjusted, good for second in the league. He then played extremely well in two separate summer leagues (Orlando and Vegas) as a member of the Magic and Nuggets’ rosters, but when no NBA team came calling with guaranteed cash, opted to sign in the Spanish ACB with CB Granada.

The move seems to be paying off quite well for Hendrix, as he’s already established himself as one of the more productive big men in the league—averaging nearly 20 and 10 per-40 minutes pace adjusted—despite being a 23-year old rookie in the toughest domestic league in Europe. If anything, he’s upped his value significantly in Europe by showing that he can translate his game over to a new style of play, and he’s surely improved in his own right along the way.

What Hendrix brings to the table is quite obvious for those who have seen him or followed him throughout the years on this site. He’s a brute force underneath the basket with his terrific body, huge hands and 7-3 wingspan. He’s not a terribly skilled offensive player but is regardless fairly effective around the paint, particularly with his back to the basket. His main virtues lie in his rebounding ability, as he boxes out opponents extremely well and does an excellent job pursuing loose balls with his soft hands and long arms. He is yet to develop much of a face-up game and still a liability from the free throw line, two things he must address as his career moves on, but is a highly efficient player (leading the ACB in field goal percentage) who understands his limitations and comes off as quite an intelligent and fundamentally sound player.

Defensively, Hendrix is an undersized center who is effective guarding the post thanks to his strength, smarts and tenacity, but loses effectiveness the more he steps away from the basket. In today’s NBA, though, where players like David Lee and Chuck Hayes are thriving at the center position that might not be as much of an issue as it was in years past, despite the fact that Hendrix can’t be described as anything more than an average athlete at best.

As the Kurt Thomas’ and Reggie Evans’ of the world slowly get phased out in favor of younger big men, it’s only natural for teams to look in the direction of players like Hendrix to fill their void in their respective rotations. Considering the way he’s produced at every stage of his career thus far, it’s not out of the question that he could surprise someone and develop into a valuable asset.

Word on the Street: Golden State Workout, Walker Injury

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Jun 16, 2008, 01:36 am
Hendrix did everything he possibly could to help himself reportedly, blocking shots, rebounding well, scoring points both inside and outside, running the floor and playing strong defense. This is not the first strong report we’ve received from a workout he’s been in-- others have mentioned how much better he’s shooting free throws and mid-range jumpers, as well as the confidence he exudes and how impressive he is off the court as well. As we’ve discussed before, Hendrix’s numbers and overall profile compares favorably with Carlos Boozer’s at the same age, and even though we might not ever become an all-star like Boozer, he could develop into a Paul Millsap type steal if he falls into the second round.

NBA Pre-Draft Camp, Day Three

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
May 30, 2008, 08:35 am
Richard Hendrix again did his best Paul Millsap impression, doing yeomen’s work on the offensive glass, picking up 6 rebounds on that end in just 22 minutes. He struggled to finish most of his shots inside, though, being unable to elevate quite high enough in traffic. He did have a nice move on the block in which he finished with a pretty jump-hook, and also did his typical work in transition and with simple finishes around the rim. Again he impressed with his passing ability and overall unselfishness, something that you rarely see out of any of the big men here.

Cross-Country Workout Swing: Part Two, Abunassar Impact Basketball

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
May 20, 2008, 01:39 am
The shooting drills were definitely not the place to evaluate Hendrix as a prospect—he’s a five on five player on the way, and the poor point guard play he suffered from in many of the three on three games he participated in didn’t really do him any favors either—meaning we’ll definitely have to wait until the pre-draft camp to get a better read than we were able to during the regular season.



Hendrix’s shooting stroke is nothing to write home about—he has a bit of a hitch and seems to fling the ball at the basket on his way down as well. We did like what we saw physically, though—he has tree trunks for legs, a great frame, and surely has been putting in significant time in on his body. He is down about 3% on his body fat to 9% since he finished school, and weighs in at a chiseled 253 pounds now, with the goal being to get down to 245 eventually. Talking to him, he seems very aware of his situation and is very focused on getting as much as he can out of his body quickness and agility-wise. He didn’t seem to play all that much in the competitive three on threes during the last day, preferring to take a step back and let the more enthusiastic guys here have their fun. He knocked down a few 15-foot jumpers, struggled a bit to get his shot off in the post, and played fairly average defense, like most players here. He needs to have a strong outing in Orlando to show that his Carlos Boozer-esqe college numbers can translate over to the next level.

NCAA Weekly Performers, 2/26/08-- Part One

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Kyle Nelson
Kyle Nelson
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Feb 27, 2008, 04:02 am
With his season and possibly college career probably about 10 days away from being over (Alabama is 14-13 and currently looks unlikely to play in the postseason), this is as good a time as any to review Richard Hendrix’s credentials for this upcoming NBA Draft. Reading between the lines on a recent local article, it seems very likely that this will indeed be the last we’ve seen of Hendrix at the collegiate level, and no one will reasonably be able to fault him for that considering the three excellent seasons he gave the unlucky, underachieving Crimson Tide.

After a terrific sophomore season, which earned him 2nd team All-SEC honors, Hendrix did not let the success go to his head and instead spent the summer working on his body and refining his skill set. Two cardio workouts a day helped him shed 20 pounds from his massive frame, which has noticeably helped him become more agile getting up and down the floor and especially elevating off his feet.

Hendrix’s numbers are up across the board, both per game, and per-40 minutes, regardless of the extra playing time he is seeing. His points, rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, free throw attempts, and minutes are all up, while his turnovers, free throw shooting, fouls and assists are down. He ranks 5th in NCAA PER, 5th in WIN Score, 8th in EFF, 15th in field goal percentage, 36th in scoring per-40 minutes pace adjusted, 17th in rebounding, and 29th in blocks.

The bulk of Hendrix’s points still come in the post, where he possesses a fundamentally sound, no-frills type game. He has a very nice right-handed jump-hook shot, and is extremely smart and crafty establishing position in the paint and finishing around the basket, doing a notable job brushing off contact thanks to his outstanding strength. He’s even hitting some shots with his left hand this year, doing a better job in general showing off some more advanced finesse post moves (even beating players in the post with his quickness) to go along with the brute force he can use to bully players around inside. The 62% he shoots from the field is very impressive when you consider how much of the offensive load his team expects him to shoulder, but he’s also a very good passer out of double teams, which is to be expected considering his high basketball IQ. He also gets to the free throw line at an excellent rate, but only hits a dismal 53% of his shots here, which is down from the 65 and 63% he shot from there as a freshman and sophomore respectively. We can only wonder what kind of numbers he would be putting up if he were playing with a real point guard next to him, but Ronald Steele’s unfortunate injuries derailed any hopes of that.

Hendrix also seems to be showing more of an ability to step away from the basket this season. He’s hit a couple of 3-pointers, and looked very good nailing a couple of 17 or 18 foot jumpers in the film we observed throughout the season, even pulling up off the dribble on one occasion. His bread and butter is clearly his inside game, but it’s nice to see some glimpses of potential in his jump-shot, which will play a very important role in his success in the NBA.

Hendrix’s biggest appeal as an NBA prospect has to be his rebounding ability, though. Having a body like He-Man, he boxes out as well as any player in the country, and goes after every ball with terrific timing, hands, length and tenacity. Defensively, Hendrix looks more effective now that he’s shed the excess weight he was carrying, competing extremely hard as always, and showing good timing and decent bounce getting off his feet to block shots. He’s not someone who can be backed down in the post due to his incredible strength, and thus is very effective playing man to man defense in the paint. The fact that he’s only 6-9 does put him at somewhat of a disadvantage at times, though.

Where Hendrix struggles the most is when forced to step out onto the perimeter, especially attempting to guard quicker power forwards who like to face the basket and put the ball on the floor. His lateral quickness here is fairly poor, which will hurt him especially when matched up with NBA teams who like to play a lot of pick and roll, as he can’t hedge screens the way many NBA coaches expect their big men to.

Although we won’t know for sure until the list of early-entry candidates is revealed and it’s decided who is drafting where, Hendrix looks like a pretty safe bet to be drafted somewhere in the first round this year. He’s the type of player who could help virtually any team in the NBA considering what he brings to the table at the position he plays, and may even have a chance to crack the late lottery with favorable measurements (6-9 or up) and some solid workouts. He’s not going to wow anyone with his upside or win any championships single-handedly, but can be similar to a Paul Millsap type player who does a lot of dirty work, understands his role and will do whatever it takes to help win games.

NCAA Weekly Performers, 12/06/2007 -- Part Two

Rodger Bohn
Rodger Bohn
Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Joey Whelan
Joey Whelan
Dec 06, 2007, 03:13 am
After entering college as a well known prospect, Hendrix had solid freshman and sophomore seasons, but felt he could raise his draft stock by staying in school. Now in his junior season, the talented big man has established himself as one of the premier post players in college basketball, posting a double-double this season while shooting over 60% from the field. Alabama will rely on him throughout this season, and he really has a chance to make a name for himself playing in the SEC.

Offensively, Hendrix has both polished skills in the post as well as the ability to score facing the basket. Down low, he relies on a right handed jump hook, which can be very difficult for opposing post players to defend. The junior can spin and take a jumper out of the post as well, and displayed better patience with his back to the basket this season. Facing the basket, Hendrix can hit a jumper out to 15 feet with consistency, and sometimes takes the ball to the hoop if being guarded by a slower post player.

Defensively, the talented big man has made some strides this season as a shot-blocker coming from the weak-side. Hendrix is at his best defensively when allowed to bang against true centers, where he really uses his strong body and length as an advantage. The struggles on this end of the floor come when he has to guard a finesse big man. In these situations, Hendrix appears to be too slow-footed to keep up, making it easy for the opposing team to score.

Physically, Hendrix stands at 6’8” with a strong frame that is made for physical play in the post. Weight issues have plagued him at times in the past, but his body mass seems to be at the ideal level so far this season. Hendrix plays much bigger than his listed height, thanks in part to a 7’3” wing span. The junior big also has a powerful vertical leap.

The problems revolving around Hendrix for the NBA partially revolve around position. Defensively he’s an ideal fit for the center position, but lack of height may prevent this from happening. Hendrix could also further develop his counter-moves on the low block, and develop a higher level of comfort when spinning to his right shoulder.

Richard Hendrix already held his own against Roy Hibbert this season, and will have a chance to prove himself against the best big men that the SEC has to offer. Georgetown has been the only real high-major competition he has played this season, so it will be important for him to carry his current level of production over to his games against better opponents. If he can continue his current level of success, Hendrix certainly has a chance at landing in the lottery, but there is a long season ahead before we can even begin this discussion.

Top NBA Draft Prospects in the SEC (Part One: #1-#5)

Rodger Bohn
Rodger Bohn
Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Kyle Nelson
Kyle Nelson
Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Oct 03, 2007, 01:12 am
Statistically one of the most impressive returning players in college basketball on a per-minute basis, there will be some lofty expectations from Richard Hendrix heading into his junior season. That’s especially true considering the graduation of Jermareo Davidson and the fact that starting point guard Ron Steele is redshirting the season with continued knee problems.

Hendrix is a rare specimen in college basketball—a big, strong, smart, tough and skilled Carlos Boozer-esqe post player who can score effectively with his back to the basket. He’s a terrific finisher around the hoop, despite being somewhat limited in his explosiveness, but shows awesome ability to pin his man and shield him with his body and doing an especially notable job using the glass to finish craftily around the rim, particularly using the opposite side of the rim on a reverse. He mixes in spin-moves with fundamentally sound footwork and pretty jump-hooks featuring outstanding touch—always knowing where he is in the paint and being about as close to automatic inside as you’ll get at this level, indeed ranking 3rd in this draft class in field goal percentage at 60%, only behind Roy Hibbert. Hendrix is as noted not the most impressive player vertically, but he is pretty quick off his feet and combined with his strength, smarts, timing and toughness can be a real load for opposing defenders to handle—even the outstanding Florida Gator frontcourt for example, which he lit up for 16 points and 8 rebounds in a very close loss on the road.

More than just an effective scorer, Hendrix is also the 2nd best rebounder in this draft class as well, largely thanks to his terrific timing and outstanding hands, which serve as suction cups that allow him to gobble up rebounds over bigger, more athletic players that he should have no business grabbing. His fundamentals, aggressive nature and basketball IQ all come in very handy here, as you would expect from a coach’s son.

Hendrix showed sparks of an effective mid-range jumper—even looking good on one occasion stepping out behind the 3-point line to knock down a shot. He is also not a bad ball-handler, facing up on a couple of occasions through the year to take his man off the dribble and make his way intelligently to the rim, despite his average first step. This is a part of his game that Hendrix will have to show more of if he’s to successfully make the transition from NCAA center to NBA power forward—as well as trimming down as much as possible (he’s currently listed at 265) to help improve his quickness. He’ll also need to show more ability to use his left hand when finishing around the basket- as he clearly prefers to go to his right even in situations where he wastes valuable time and space switching hands.

The most concerning part of Hendrix’s game revolves around his defensive ability, though. Already undersized at around 6-8, without outstanding athleticism to make up for it, Hendrix really can’t be considered anything more than a poor defender at this point. His lateral quickness is awful, he gives up way too much space in the paint, and he really does not seem to put in much effort at all in terms of moving his feet and staying in front of his man—particularly when forced to get out and defend the perimeter. Part of the season why he wasn’t able to play more minutes last year was because of the foul problems he encountered, something that must improve considering how heavily Bama will rely on him this season. They were nothing short of a massive disappointment last season, going from being projected in the top 10 in preseason polls to ending their season in the first round of the NIT.

Things don’t look much better for the Crimson Tide this season…unless they can get their go-to guy to step up and have a dominant year.

NCAA Tournament: Oakland Bracket NBA Draft Prospects

Rodger Bohn
Rodger Bohn
Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Jonathan Watters
Jonathan Watters
Landry Fields
Landry Fields
Mar 16, 2006, 02:48 am
Throughout his freshman season, Richard Hendrix has displayed very good potential for the future, and even looked dominant at times. He possesses good athleticism, a great motor, and an NBA body to boot. During the NCAA tournament, Hendrix can best improve his draft stock by being a consistent threat on the offensive end of the floor by being more assertive with his back to the basket. It would also help Hendrix to improve his shooting from the free throw line. If he can break out and become the consistent scoring threat in the post that Alabama needs, then Richard Hendrix is defiantly a guy to keep an eye on a year or two down the road.

In Case You Missed It...the Top Weekly Performers, 1/23-1/30

Rodger Bohn
Rodger Bohn
Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Landry Fields
Landry Fields
Jan 31, 2006, 03:51 am
Eschewing the NBA for the college life, Richard Hendrix is a talented prospect with more to learn offensively, but a load of potential as a bruiser and rebounder. His myriad interior talents were on display in a win over Mississippi State, when the 6'8" freshman forward tallied 22 points and snagged a remarkable 16 rebounds. Hendrix dominated the young Bulldogs, coming a point shy of matching his career (and season) high in scoring.

This, on the heels of a 16-point, 9-board effort against the huge front line of LSU. A McDonald's All-American and top 10 recruit, much was expected of Hendrix upon arrival. And with the loss of senior All-SEC forward Chuck Davis for the year due to injury, Hendrix's rapid development becomes all the more crucial for the Tide. Thus far, he has lived up to billing, providing rebounding, interior defense and toughness to a team in search of an identity.

The freshman has seen his minutes spike after a tough road win over Kentucky, and he has responded. Quick off his feet and with excellent footwork for a young player, Hendrix should be able to improve on what is a fairly basic repertoire of moves at this point. Most of the forward's points have come on dunks, putbacks and short jumpers, but that's to be expected.

Working alongside Jermareo Davidson allows Hendrix to focus on rebounding and defense, and masks his rawer qualities offensively. But there is a lot to like in the attitude, strong shooting numbers and mature focus of the young forward. It would be much too early to say whether Hendrix could have an impact on the NBA, based on early returns, he needs a more well-rounded game to compete with grown men at the 4 spot. But Hendrix plays with a ferocity that belies his age, and most importantly, he is improving game to game.

The absence of Davis will actually push Hendrix to improve and to grow as a player, something that could accelerate his progress. That alone could change the opinion of this writer, and much more importantly the pro scouts, by the time Hendrix is ready to take his game to the next level.

Top 15 NBA Draft Prospects in the SEC

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Nov 03, 2005, 03:20 am
Probably two years away or so from being a serious NBA prospect, Hendrix has an NBA body, very good hands, and nice athleticism to boot. He is a smart, tough player who loves to scrap but shows a good basketball IQ and feel for the game passing out of the post. He's still a bit raw of a player at this point and is behind two solid college big men in Chuck Davis and Jermareo Davidson, but he's got the right tools and mind set to be an impact player for Bama sooner rather than later.

McDonald's Practice Session Recap

Rodger Bohn
Rodger Bohn
Mar 30, 2005, 02:59 am
Richard pleasantly surprised me today with his athleticism when the East was running the alley-oop play. He was getting up really well and throwing the ball down with authority. Coming into the event, I thought Richard might have had a little baby fat on him, but boy was I wrong. He's 250 lbs. of solid muscle. Hendix did a great job of running the floor in the secondary break. I did not get to see much of his jump shot today, but I should be able to see a little more in tomorrow's shootaround. One NBA GM had this to say about Hendix's physique: He's 250 lbs. and he's really solid. He can really be something else.

Latest results

03/09/2024 76 - 89 vs Nanterre Nanterre
03/02/2024 67 - 86 at Bourg Bourg
02/16/2024 81 - 94 at Monaco Monaco
02/13/2024 80 - 85 vs Dijon Dijon

Tweets

DraftExpress Shop