NBA Rumors: Jazz's Taylor Hendricks Out for Season After ...
Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
Utah Jazz second-year forward Taylor Hendricks reportedly will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season after suffering a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle during Monday's 110-102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
Hendricks will undergo surgery in the next day or two, per that report.
Hendricks was jogging alone on the right side of the court, heading toward the baseline, when his legs appeared to buckle underneath him and one visibly bent too far in the wrong direction.
"That's hard to stomach," Jazz head coach Will Hardy told reporters regarding Hendricks' injury. "He's put in a lot of hard work. He's a great kid, and so we're really just trying to focus on him, his health, keeping him up, his spirits up as he begins the road of his recovery. But these are the moments in sports that suck."
Taylor has openly gained a lot of weight and strength. It showed up in the preseason and it started to show up in the regular season. This is far from over for him. This is a pause button for Taylor. You can see where this was going for him.. <br><br>Will Hardy on Taylor Hendricks
Will Hardy visibly upset talking about how hard Taylor Hendricks has worked and how heartbreaking this is for the team
"It's just put me in an emotional state," added Keyonte George, who covered his face with a towel during the game and was clearly emotional after seeing the extent of the injury. "That's just my brother. I didn't know him growing up, and then building a relationship with him over the year, he felt like family. I told him I loved him, told him I'm here for him, whatever he needs."
The 20-year-old Hendricks, who was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, was averaging 4.7 points, five rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks in 25 minutes per game this season. During his rookie season, he averaged 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 40 contests.
"T is a really good dude," center Walker Kessler told reporters. "The biggest thing is just being there for him physically and checking up on him. Right now, he just needs a lot of support from a lot of people."
Expectations were high for Hendricks heading into his second season, who was inserted into the starting lineup for the first three games after starting just 23 contests as a rookie.
"Super unfortunate," Lauri Markkanen told reporters regarding the injury. "We're all here for him. It sucks that we lost, but he's more important than that. We know how hard he worked the whole summer to be ready for this opportunity, so it sure feels tough for him. We're going to stay here for him and support him."
