Taylor Hendricks' injury overshadows Jazz's hard-fought loss vs. Mavericks

The Utah Jazz suffered their third loss of the season at the hands of the Mavericks. It was a hard-fought road loss, which was pretty impressive since the Mavericks are the reigning Western Conference champions. However, Taylor Hendricks' leg injury overshadows it all.

The second-year Jazzman came into the season expected to make some progress following an uneven rookie season. He talked about how he worked with former NBA player and current Jazz personnel Avery Bradley in the hopes of taking another step forward.

The Jazz gave him a starters' nod, which is a vote of confidence on his potential as a player. Hendricks is raw offensively, but he looked like he could be an impactful defender as he got his NBA legs under him. Even if that was going to take some time.

Hendricks was a project as a potential two-way wing, but the Jazz won't be able to see that through for potentially the rest of the 2024-25 season. Hendricks one of the flukiest and most gruesome leg injuries, and for obvious reasons, we're not only refusing to share it here but actively advise anyone who hasn't to avoid watching it at all costs.

It was very bizarre because Hendricks' injury didn't occur during any sort of basketball play. He was only trying to catch himself after he slipped, and somehow, it all then ended with his leg being broken.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported the full extent of Hendricks' injury.

Who will fill in for Hendricks?

With Hendricks out indefinitely, the Jazz will be down a starter. That opens up the opportunity for other players on the roster to prove themselves. More specifically, it leaves a void at small forward that must be filled.

Since the Jazz have plenty of youth, this won't be too much of a problem. This will probably mean more time for the Jazz's rookies, including Cody Williams and Kyle Filipowski. Since they are young players, it may not be an easy transition, but there's also the possibility that getting such a callup is exactly what their young careers need.

There are other options. The Jazz may even try to go back to the Lauri Markkanen-Walker Kessler-John Collins trio that was pretty much a disaster last season. But if the kids aren't ready for big minutes just yet, they may not have better options.

They could also try turning to NBA Champion Svi Mykhailiuk or preseason fan favorite Johnny Juzang to help fill the void a bit. Will Hardy doesn't have the best options, but he has options regardless. He'll get to see through what he has on his roster.

Getting back to the most pressing matter, prayers for Hendricks on a speedy recovery and that he'll be back at 100% when he returns to the court.