An emotional and visibly shaken Will Hardy talked about Taylor Hendricks after Utah Jazz lost in front Dallas Mavericks 110-102 Monday evening. When a head coach watches someone grind in the weight room all summer, work tirelessly on his shot and generally do whatever is asked of him, moments like Monday night are difficult beyond the obvious reasons.

Hendricks, a 20-year-old second-year forward for the Jazz and former lottery pick, suffered a gruesome injury against the Mavericks. Officially, he has a fractured right fibula and a dislocated ankle. Team sources confirm that The Athletic that the injury will keep him out for the rest of the season. Sources say Hendricks will soon undergo surgery and then begin a long rehabilitation process.

It’s an injury with a potentially lasting effect on Hendricks, his teammates and the Jazz organization. The shock watched live meant Hardy and the Jazz had to make sure the players were mentally going into Tuesday night’s game against him. Sacramento Kings in the right place. The Jazz need to replace Hendricks’ minutes and his impact in the starting lineup, and Hardy did so by picking up the rookie lottery pick. Cody Williams in the top five. Hardy had to manage the rotation and bench minutes.

“Taylor is very important to us,” starting center Walker Kessler said The Athletic. “In many ways, he is our best defender. I was putting the other team’s best player every night. He’s a great guy on the floor. He is our brother. We didn’t see him (Tuesday), but we already miss him a lot.”

The non-contact injury was as bad, as unfortunate, and as difficult to process in real time as it was in the minutes that followed. Jazz defender Keyonte George she had tears streaming down her face. Other Jazz players were visibly emotional on the bench. It was the kind of hurt you can never see coming.

Hendricks came to Utah last year as a rookie, a shy teenager with potential. He wasn’t ready for a few minutes at first, but by the end of the year he had become a steady contributor. This season he has earned a place in Hardy’s starting line-up. He has shown a substantial amount of improvement. His movements were more confident. The game had slowed down for him.

On a personal level, that’s why his injury is hard for the Jazz organization to digest. By all accounts, Hendricks is one of the most likable and hard-working players on the roster. It made him easy to root for and made him one of the most popular players on the team. It says a lot that the entire roster surrounded Hendricks as he was carried off the floor on a stretcher. At that point, basketball was the furthest thing from the Utah Jazz’s mind.

“Taylor had openly gained a lot of weight and strength,” Hardy said. “He showed up in the preseason and started showing up in the regular season. This is far from over for him. We will support him on his way back and that is our goal for him. This is a pause button for Taylor. He will return. The hard part is that you could see where this was going for him. It was starting to come together.”

Last season, Hendricks showed flashes of potential. There would be a play here or there, like the one where he recovered after getting beat off the dribble. Kevin Durant and blocked his shot on the board. By the end of the season, those flashes were coming more consistently. By summer, Jazz officials were privately raving about how much work he had put in. And in Monday night’s game in Dallas, it was Hendricks, constantly harassing the Mavericks star. Luka Doncic in hits and plays that made him uncomfortable.

I still think about Taylor Hendricks blocking Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/CY63sl8zgo

— Jazz Lead (@JazzLead) February 11, 2024

From a basketball standpoint, Hendricks’ absence will be notable because his skills are difficult to replicate. He is Utah’s best and most versatile defender, capable of guarding big and small. In last Wednesday’s season opener against him Memphis GrizzliesHendricks served as Yes Moranthis main defender. His size and ability to defend allowed the Jazz to start an imposing frontcourt that included Lauri Markkanen and Kessler, both 7-foot. Without Hendricks, Utah’s collective length up front won’t be as spread out, which means a smaller backcourt of George and Collin Sexton they will have several moments where they can and will be left on an island to defend.

Offensively, Hendricks was still in shape. He had developed as a shooter, but the Jazz had hoped to improve his ability off the dribble, believing it would be the skill that could transform him from a role player to a potential star. Without Hendricks in the lineup, Williams and fellow rookie forward Kyle Filipowski image to see an increase in minutes. Filipowski, the 7-footer from Duke, stepped into Hardy’s rotation when Hendricks went down.

Williams, in his first career NBA start, scored nine points while dishing out a pair of assists and coming up with a pair of steals in Utah’s 113-96 loss to the Kings. He showed flashes, including some great reads of the game that led to assists. He scored all of his points from above the 3-point line. Without Hendricks, Williams will often draw the toughest defensive assignment. Filipowski was great. He scored 12 points while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out two assists. He showed his versatility offensively, biting inside the paint for baskets and scoring from the perimeter. He made plays off the dribble. On a night when the Jazz lost their fourth straight game to start the season, Filipowski served as a bright spot.

Hardy knows what his team is up against mentally. But he was pleased that the Jazz seemed to be in a good place Tuesday night during the game. He knows the healing process will take some time. But the game against the Kings served as a refuge.

“It was weird to be without him because we had gotten into a rhythm of playing with him,” Hardy said. “You know what lineups he’s going to play with; you know what replacement model you will have. Without him, we had to figure out a lot of things. But I thought when we’re in the game, guys lose track of everything and focus on the game. The moment it ends, we all turn to thinking about Taylor.

“But I thought the players were in a relatively good place tonight. I didn’t think it was like last night when I thought it was clear we were thinking about Taylor. I thought tonight was a positive step.”

From a front-office perspective, Hendricks’ injury is devastating. Hendricks had been the only second-year player to make the jump from his rookie season. George struggled as a starting point from Utah. Brice Sensabaugh he’s had some moments, but hasn’t found a consistent footing in three games. Hendricks has set the bar to be at least a valuable role player with the ceiling for more.

With Hendricks out for the season, that takes a year of development out of his rookie contract, which is crucial for a team like the Jazz. A main focus this season has been getting reps and playing time for young players to evaluate and improve. The good news is that Hendricks has shown enough that you can see where he fits and projects as a player. Even if he doesn’t prove to be a star-level talent, his defense and shooting make him a potentially valuable role player on a good team.

For Hendricks and the Jazz, starting the rehab process and getting him back to power as soon as possible is the main goal.

“Obviously the biggest thing is Taylor,” Hardy said. “We want to make sure he’s in a good place. It was hard to bear. He has put in a lot of great work and is a good kid. Those are the moments in sports that are gross.”

(Taylor Hendricks photo: Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)