Utah Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks is expected to miss the rest of the season after he went down with a gruesome non-contact leg injury in a game against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
As Hendricks jogged near the baseline at American Airlines Center in Dallas, he suddenly collapsed on the court after his right leg gave way. Hendricks’ right leg appeared to simply snap near his ankle, and his foot was hanging the wrong way when play was quickly stopped and training staff rushed over.
A stretcher was immediately brought for him, and players from both teams were clearly shaken by the incident.
The video can be seen herebut the wound is extremely graphic.
The Jazz ruled him out minutes later with a right ankle injury. The team then confirmed that Hendricks suffered a broken right fibula and a dislocated ankle. He will return to Utah with the team and undergo further testing on Tuesday. He is expected to miss the rest of the season.
“He’s a great kid, and so we’re really just trying to focus on him, his health, keeping his spirits up as he starts on the road to his recovery,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. via Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune.
“But these are the moments in sports that suck.”
The Jazz selected Hendricks with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of UCF. He averaged 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 40 games as a rookie last season. He had 12 points and five rebounds in their season opener last week.
“Super unfortunate,” jazz star Lauri Markkanen said, via ESPN. “We’re all here for him. It sucks that we lost, but he’s more important than that. We know how hard he’s worked all summer to be ready for this opportunity, so it definitely feels tough for him. We will go. stay here for him and support him.
“We talk about fighting through adversity, whatever it is. Tonight that happened. No one can do it alone, so it’s sticking together and trying to get through it and not give up.”
The Mavericks led almost the entire way on Monday night and rallied to a 110-102 win over the Jazz. Kyrie Irving led the way with 23 points, and Klay Thompson added 18 points and four rebounds. Collin Sexton led the Jazz with 23 points after shooting 9-of-11 from the field. The Jazz are now 0-3 on the season. They will host the Sacramento Kings next Tuesday in Salt Lake City.
