On Oct. 28, Taylor Hendricks was sitting on the court in Dallas, being attended to by numerous members of the Utah Jazz’s medical and training staff. He’d fallen awkwardly on top of his leg and ankle and to everyone watching the scene unfold, it was clear that his season was over. His coach knew it, the people in the crowd who saw him land awkwardly knew it, his teammates, tears in their eyes, knew it.
“I just feel like everything happens for a reason. In the moment I was thanking God, because maybe it was protecting me from something that would happen later in the season.”
— Utah Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks
But adrenaline is a fickle beast, and despite the fact that Hendricks was looking at his ankle pointing in an unnatural direction, he didn’t think that the injury was that bad.
“It wasn’t really pain, I was just like, shocked,” he said on Wednesday. “The doctor that came over, he snapped (my ankle) back in place. And I was like, alright, I’m probably straight. Like I’ll be out for a week or two.”
But then he was taken back for X-rays and he learned the extent of the damage — a season-ending injury. A fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle. Even still, Hendricks was the one calming everyone else down. His brother was on the phone and emotional and Hendricks let him know that everything was going to be OK and that he was OK. His teammates were heartbroken, but Hendricks reassured them that he’d be back and that it would all be OK.
Of course there were moments of disbelief. He had worked so hard over the summer, had put on nearly 20 pounds of muscle, had really made strides in his game and was excited about his second NBA season starting. In the blink of an eye the season was over, after just three games. But those moments of disbelief and disappointment were fleeting.
“He’s weirdly calm,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “I know myself, like, I would have been a wreck ... But my biggest thing for everybody and for him, is that the biggest moments of doubt are coming. It’s not right now. It’s when you get sick of it. It’s when it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m X number of months into this rehab with X number of months to go. Am I actually going to make it?’ So it’s on all of us to continue to keep him pushing forward and to keep his spirits up.”
Hendricks won’t play again this season and is at the very beginning of a very long road of rehabbing and recovery. The hope is that he’s fully healed, healthy and ready to play when the 2025-26 season begins. But there’s nobody in the Jazz organization that is going to be rushing the process.
If anything, the Jazz are going to be ultra cautious and allow extra time for every step of the recovery.
“I’d like to see him back with our team at training camp next year,” Hardy said. “But whether that timeline holds will remain to be seen, because we don’t want to create something for Taylor where there’s a letdown ... Taylor’s not itching in this moment, but he’s gonna start itching.
“He’s gonna be like, ‘OK, let me pass these last couple tests as fast as possible, because I’m just ready to go.’ And that’s where we’re gonna have to protect Taylor from himself and make sure that we get this right.”
It’s not only important for Hendricks’ future health that he be patient, but it’s also important for the Jazz’s future. The front office and coaching staff are incredibly invested in Hendricks and believe that he has massive potential to be a versatile five-position defender who can be a foundational piece for the Jazz.
Though the sample size was small — three regular-season games in addition to the preseason and offseason — there was real excitement about how much more physically imposing and sharp Hendricks was compared to his rookie season.
The early returns were that Hendricks was going to have a bit of a breakout year and that his improvement could wind up being the story of the Jazz’s season. Now, that story is on hold.
And while the physical recovery will come with its own trials, Hardy, the other players on the Jazz roster and everyone around the team know that the mental hurdles are going to be just as difficult, if not more, in the coming months for Hendricks.
That’s why the team has tried to keep Hendricks as engaged as possible. He’s at practices, watching film, in the weight room, at home games and Hardy is hoping that soon, Hendricks can join the team on the road.
Right now, Hendricks is wearing a boot on that right leg and gets around on a knee scooter. But, Hardy has been told that once Hendricks is able to functionally move and get around without the scooter or crutches he can get back on the road with the team. The hope is that he’ll be at that state in early January.
For now, before he gets tired of the rehab, before the days of recovery become monotonous, before any doubt sets in, Hendricks said that he’s just taking everything one day at a time and trying to be patient. If anything, he said he’s grateful for the timing and is trying to find silver linings.
“I just feel like everything happens for a reason,” he said. “In the moment I was thanking God, because maybe it was protecting me from something that would happen later in the season. I was really just trying to take the positives of it, one of them being that I’m happy it happened early in the season so I can be able to fully recover and be ready for the next season.”
