Jazz's Taylor Hendricks suffers serious ankle injury in loss to Mavericks

DALLAS – Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy spent at least half of his pregame availability Monday praising second-year forward Taylor Hendricks.

The 20-year-old's ninth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft was a clear priority for the team at the start of the season. He started the first three games for the Jazz, recording 12 points, five rebounds and two steals in the season opener against Memphis.

However, the bright start and upward trend came to nothing against the Dallas Mavericks when Hendricks slipped and fell on his ankle in the third quarter, resulting in a fractured right fibula and an ankle dislocation, according to the Jazz.

Officials had to use a stretcher to get Hendricks off the ground because several Jazz players appeared clearly affected by the injury.

“It’s hard to take,” Hardy said after the game. “He did a lot of hard work. He's a great boy. We're just trying to focus on him, his health and his mood as he begins the long journey. These are the moments in sports that suck.”

“This is far from over for (Hendricks),” Hardy added. “This is a pause button for Taylor. You can see the flashes, you can see where this could lead for him. That’s a credit to him, he’s put in a lot of work.”

Utah trailed Dallas by 12 points at the end of the third quarter, but an 11-point solo by John Collins cut the deficit to 86-81 with 9:36 left in the game.

Collins' spark helped Utah to a 32-28 lead in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough and they ultimately lost 110-102. Collin Sexton and Kyrie Irving were their respective teams' top point scorers that night, scoring a game-high 23 points.

The Jazz fall to 0-3 this season and return to Salt Lake City for a pair of home games against the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday and Thursday.