A coat of horror loomed over the American Airlines Center. With the Dallas Mavericks and the Utah Jazz drawing their swords, at first, it seemed like a simple transition possession. Taylor Hendricks, the Jazz’s 2023 draft pick, jogged back to get into position, but his abrupt pause led to a sight Luka Doncic turned his head to. The 20-year-old suffered a gruesome injury such that all the players on the field forgot about the game and began worrying.

With his ankle folding into him, the former ninth-overall pick needed to be stretchered off the court and immediately taken to the hospital. Now, the Jazz have an update on his painful injury. According to the team’s official statement, “Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks suffered a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle in tonight’s game at Dallas. Further updates will be provided when appropriate,”.

Although, the injury seems very severe surely isn’t the worst. In 2014, Paul George suffered a similar injury, breaking both his tibia and his fibula during an exhibition game with Team USA. Despite the gravity of the ailment, George managed to make a healthy return toward the end of the season, playing 6 games on light minutes. Since then, he has also found a way to redesign his game, developing into a two-way tyrant.

Before exiting the game, Taylor Hendricks logged 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block against the Dallas Mavericks. The sophomore was yet to warm up his scoring engine this season; however, he has positioned himself as a tenacious defender averaging 1.5 steals in three games thus far.

After Taylor Hendrick’s gruesome injury, Mavericks tackle a bad Luka Doncic game to steal the game

Up until Taylor Hendricks stayed in the game, he marshaled Luka Doncic, who was fresh off a 40-point game. The 20-year-old didn’t match up offensively. But on the defensive end, he left his all out in hounding the Slovenian. Doncic only finished with 15 points. Over his career, there have only been 21 occasions when he scored 15 or less aside from tonight. Hendricks and the Mavs’ suffocation led to an abysmal 5-22 shooting night.

Despite that, the Mavericks managed to get past their upset last game against the Phoenix Suns to notch a second win of the season. With Luka Magic withering, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson took charge. The former rivals turned teammates combined to score 41 points and haunted the Jazz with 7 triples in between them.

In response to Doncic’s shortcomings, the Mavericks did an equally impressive job curbing Lauri Markannen’s production. The All-Star forward managed 17 points, shooting 26.7% from the field. Colin Sexton led the way, missing just two shots en route to his 23-point performance. However, the Jazz couldn’t overcome a lofty switch in the third quarter, taking the Mavericks to the top.

With Hendricks, an impeccable defensive presence out for a considerable time, do you think the Jazz can cope or will they fall apart in the sophomore forward’s absence? Let us know your views in the comments below.