Utah Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks sustained a fracture during Monday’s 110-102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the team announced.
Hendricks was taken out of the game and he would return to Utah with the team for further examination. Predictions are that he might miss the remainder of the season.
“That’s hard to stomach,” Hardy said of 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.”
Hendricks had suddenly collapsed in the third quarter without any contact and had his lower right leg turned painfully to the outside. He was quickly stretchered off the court to be attended to.
The young man has been very impressive as a rookie with the Utah Jazz. He averaged 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds and was quickly moved to the regular starting lineup.
“This is far from over for him,” Hardy said.
“This is a pause button for Taylor. You can see [his work paying off] even in the early parts of this season. You can see the flashes, you can see where this could be going with him, and that’s a credit to him.”
Standing at 6-foot-9, Hendricks was the ninth pick in the 2023 draft. He portrayed the attributes of a great defender, and Utah was happy to have him.
The Jazz are scheduled to play their next game against the Sacramento Kings. However, they are sitting at 0-3 currently.
