DALLAS  — Utah forward Taylor Hendricks was wheeled off the floor on a stretcher with a right-leg injury after he landed awkwardly midway through the third quarter of the Jazz’s 110-102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.

What You Need To Know

  • Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks fractured his right fibula and dislocated his ankle Monday night

  • He had to be taken off the basketball court on a stretcher in Dallas after dropping to the floor without any contact

  • Hendricks, a former standout at UCF, is expected to miss the rest of the NBA season

Hendricks fractured his right fibula and dislocated his ankle, according to Jazz officials. He is expected to miss the rest of the season.

“He’s a great kid, and so we’re really just trying to focus on him — his health, keeping his spirits up, as he begins the road of his recovery,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “But these are the moments in sports that suck.”

Hendricks went down to the floor without any contact near the baseline beneath the Jazz’s basket, his foot landing in an awkward direction.

Hendricks, in his second season, had two points, three rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes, and made his third consecutive start this season after starting 23 games of his 40 appearances as a rookie. He has developed into an important defender and 3-point shooter for the Jazz, averaging 36.8% from behind the arc.

“Super unfortunate,” said Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, who struggled to find words. “We’re all here for him. It sucks that we lost, but he’s more important than that. We know how hard he worked the whole summer to be ready for this opportunity, so it sure feels tough for him. We’re going to stay here for him and support him.

“We talk about fighting through adversity, whatever it is. Tonight, it happened to be that. Nobody can do it alone, so it’s staying together and trying to work through it and not giving up.”

Hendricks, a four-star recruit out of Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, spent only one season at UCF because he impressed NBA scouts enough for the Jazz to select him ninth overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. He averaged 15.1 points, seven rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in 34 contests played and was a unanimous selection to the American Athletic Conference's All-Freshman and was named to the AAC's Second Team All-Conference.

UCF basketball coach Johnny Dawkins sent wishes for a swift recovery to Hendricks. Taylor's brother, Tyler, is a redshirt sophomore for the Knights.