The trauma came midway through the third quarter. Jordan Clarkson had just rebounded a Luka Doncic miss and the Jazz were racing down the field. As Hendricks filled the right lane, he collapsed in front of the baseline. It is clear what precisely caused the trauma, simply that his right leg gave way and he fell to the ground. From there, Hendricks was briefly retired from the sport.
“Every member of our team and really our organization that travels with us stopped by that room to see it a moment ago,” said Utah coach Will Hardy, closer to the sport. “I’ll sit down and have a longer conversation at some point in the near future. I know you’re processing a lot right now. I’m sure you’re getting a lot of messages from family and loved ones. We’re going to do our best as a group. continue to show him and his family some love and support during this.”
Hendricks was once the Negative. 9 total picks in the 2023 NBA Draft. Spent part of his rookie season playing in the G-League, but was given a larger role down the stretch. Once his offense got moving, he emerged as a strong defender for a tender Jazz team still easily looking for young cornerstones for its rebuild.
The Jazz inserted him into their base lineup this season, and figured he would have enough opportunities to expand as the season progressed. Now, Hendricks will almost certainly miss a significant number of months.
Hendricks averaged 6.0 points and 6.0 rebounds through the Jazz’s first two games and had two points, three rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes before exiting Monday night’s game. He averaged 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 40 games at the end of the season.
