Just as he started his second season with the Utah Jazz, Taylor Hendricks suffered a catastrophic knee injury. The young wing was awarded a spot in their starting five, where the Jazz hoped he would take a step forward. Unfortunately, it may be until next season for the Jazz to see that through.
For the time being, there is no timeline on his return, but there has been confirmation on the extent of the injury.
Sources: Jazz F Taylor Hendricks suffered a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle. He will return to Utah with the team for further testing tomorrow.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 29, 2024
For the time being, don't be surprised if Hendricks is out for the season, or most of it. Knowing his NBA career was just about to start, and knowing the undeniable potential he has, this is about as unfortunate as things get for the Jazz youngster.
However, though it may be a while before Jazz fans see him again, this is only a setback, and that's something that Hendricks himself understands, as he posted a heartwarming message after the injury via his Instagram story.
Taylor Hendricks first post since last night’s injury. pic.twitter.com/tFrBhLX2jV
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) October 29, 2024
There is also an upside to this. Other NBA stars have suffered injuries like these, and they came back about as good as they were before the injury occurred. The best examples are Paul George and Jazz alum Gordon Hayward.
They suffered injuries quite similar to Hendricks
Note that Hendricks didn't suffer the exact same injury as Hayward and George did, but it's fair to say that he suffered close enough. Hayward fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle in 2017, while George suffered a compound fracture in his leg in 2014, causing both to miss their respective seasons.
For obvious reasons, we won't share their injuries as they are not a pleasant sight. Feel free to watch them on YouTube, but beware, the images are still quite disturbing and always will be.
Despite what can appear as a career-threatening injury, both George and Hayward came back. While it was not an easy transition, they worked back to become the players they were before.
While it altered their career paths, they still played at a high enough level once they returned. George played well enough that he was once considered an MVP candidate. Hayward may have never made an All-Star game again, but he was still an excellent all-around player. If anything, his problem was that he got snake-bitten with the injury bug.
Now, no one is saying Hendricks can play at the same level they did because that's setting the bar a little high. However, their return to forms prove that while such an injury is sad to see, Hendricks can definitely come back and be the player the Jazz want him to be, even if that may be a bit later than both them and him would have liked.