Oct 15, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks (0) reacts to a play against the Sacramento Kings during the third quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah Jazz's Taylor Hendricks Sounds Off Ahead of Third Season

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 6:30 PM ET

Early into the 2024-25 NBA season, the Utah Jazz were hit with a brutal season-ending injury in the form of Taylor Hendricks' fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle, ending a promising second year in the league after being the team's top-ten pick from a summer ago.

And while it was a brutal blow for both Hendricks and the Jazz's hopes to see their young core grow for last season, it does mark a bit of added anticipation for Hendricks' third year in the mix for Utah for his campaign in the coming months ahead–– a season in which he himself can't wait for when asked after a productive summer.

"Summer's been great," Hendricks said during an interview at summer league, "Been working on my body, getting close to the guys, it's been great overall... I can't wait [for the season]. I wish the season started tomorrow. I'm ready, though."

"I can't wait. I wish the season started tomorrow."

We caught up with @tayxhendricks in Vegas to see how his summer's going and what his summer league experience is like as a supporter #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/ZruQFo21h7
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 12, 2025

Based on Hendricks' comments, he seems to be getting notably better from a health standpoint ahead of next season, while not facing off in the summer league action. Though it does remain in what capacity he'll be ready to go at once late-October rolls around.

Hendricks only got the chance to play in three games for Utah last season, but when he was healthy and on the floor for his rookie campaign, he certainly showed some promise–– averaging 7.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and nearly a steal and a block a game in 21 minutes a night.

After nearly a year on the sidelines, there's a chance that Hendricks is fully ready to compete with a high workload and number of minutes to his name, but there's also a world where Utah opts to be a bit more conservative with their promising forward after such a rough injury.

Time will tell how it pans out, but Hendricks will definitely be a fun case to watch on the Jazz roster come next season.