Jazz Forward Taylor Hendricks Shares Major Injury Progress

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Calvin Barrett | Last updated Feb 25, 2025 2:00 PM ET

Beginning the 2024-25 regular season, the Utah Jazz held high hopes for their 9th overall selection from the previous year's draft class. Taylor Hendricks, a long and athletic 3-and-D archetype out of UCF was entering his sophomore season in Utah after an injury-shortened rookie campaign.

Though his Summer League output left plenty to be desired — especially from an offensive standpoint — Hendricks opened the season as a member of the starting lineup and a renewed confidence in his team's reassurance.

In his final Summer League game, he blocked three shots and collected a steal to close out the in-between period. Showing stellar improvement in his defensive chops, the offensive game was likely to follow as a season of work could enhance the content of his tool kit.

But tragedy struck only three games into the regular season, as a wet spot on the floor in Dallas sent Hendricks to the floor with a gruesome leg injury that fractured his right fibula and dislocated his ankle. A nauseating sight for not only the eyes, but the state of Hendricks' career momentum.

For the second time in as many years, Hendricks was forced to endure a shortened season thanks to injury — not ideal for a Jazz team focused on their player development at this stage in the rebuild.

But finally, some positive news emerged regarding the Hendricks injury, as the player's recovery is taking visible steps in the right direction.

Hendricks posted on his Instagram story a video of his knees downward -- no walking boot in sight.

Taylor Hendricks is out of his boot via IG story pic.twitter.com/ix1BoIjkpp
— Kato Parina (@KatoParinaSLC) February 24, 2025

Still far from a full recovery and set to miss the remainder of the season as an added precaution, seeing the sophomore forward's recovery is a desperately needed nugget of good news for a team without much reason to celebrate as of late.

Hendricks' absence has been felt in Utah's rotation, as the Jazz display one of the NBA's least effective defensive units, even behind rim-protecting anchor, Walker Kessler. An oft-forgotten piece of the Jazz' young core, Hendricks offers defensive upside and a better-than-expected 3-point shot at this early stage in his career.

Even during a rocky rookie season, the 6-foot-9 forward hit a very strong 37.8 percent of his long-range looks. With a sample size unfortunately too small to properly gauge this year, his growth year-to-year is unfortunately yet unquantifiable.

But this positive turn in the Hendricks injury saga is an indicator that the forward could be ready for action once again at the onset of the 2025-26 season alongside Utah's new batch of young prospects.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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