"Prayers for his family": Kyrie Irving Distraught After Scary Photos Of Taylor Hendrick Injury Rock 2 NBA Teams – EssentiallySports

“It just put me in an emotional state. It’s just my brother. Utah Jazz point guard Keyonte George was just one of many visibly shaken following Taylor Hendricks’ injury. With 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter of a recent Jazz-Mavericks game, Hendricks was running down the court with intense speed. But he suddenly tripped, causing his body weight to fall completely onto his right leg, injuring him. Even from a distance it was obvious that the disease was quite serious.

Nothing was more telling than the worried expressions on his teammates’ faces. Even after paramedics carried Hendricks off the court on a stretcher, observers believed the incident likely left every member of the Jazz team in shock. As it turns out, they weren’t the only ones.

During a postgame question-and-answer session with Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving, a reporter got to the bottom of Hendricks’ injury to get a quote from the player. Irving revealed that he gave the injured player a “hand on shoulder” just as he escorted the latter. Although the Mavericks star admitted Hendricks may not have noticed since then “he was in shock”it didn’t matter to him. After all, being in the NBA for 13 years, he has seen his fair share of serious injuries and may have even had a few on his hands. However, Irving couldn’t help but admit that he was upset about what had happened.

“But yeah, I’m just praying for him, praying for his family, praying that he comes back even stronger, man,” said the 32-year-old shooting guard/point guard. “It does something to an athlete’s psyche when you see something like that, but then you have to keep playing. But we definitely feel for him and I do. I just pray he’s okay.”

Like Kyrie, Luka Doncic also appeared right behind him and repeated the action. Even the crowd at the American Airlines Center, which surely consisted of Mavericks fans, erupted in cheers, showing that they were putting NBA rivalries aside for a moment and simply honoring the Jazz’s power forward.

Sometime after the conclusion of the Mavericks-Jazz game, which the home team won by a score of 110-102, they revealed that Taylor Hendricks developed a fractured right fibula along with a sprained ankle. In fact, although the Utah Jazz have yet to provide an official update, the 20-year-old’s broken right fibula could be a season-ending injury.

Hendricks’ injury brought a huge change in mood that may have existed in the opening stages of the match. After officials led the Jazz star off the court, Klay Thompson sat on the bench, visibly emotional as he held a towel over his face. Cody Williams walked by with a grim expression. Meanwhile, Keyonte George even had tears in his eyes. With that in mind, members of the Jazz have already begun to show appreciation for their team’s athletes.

The head coach and players of the Jazz were shaken like a leaf after the injury to Taylor Hendricks

For members of the Jazz like Keyonte George, the potential departure of Taylor Hendricks is more of an emotional issue. For others, injury would prevent them from having a valuable player off the court; and hurting the Jazz’s already dismal chances. The same was emphasized by Jazz head coach Will Hardy, who stated after the game “It’s hard to stomach, he’s put in a lot of hard work. He’s a great kid and so we’re really trying to focus on him, his health, keeping him awake, his spirits high as he starts his road to recovery.” At the same time, Hardy couldn’t help but criticize this part of the NBA season, adding “But it’s the moments in sports that suck.”

Among the top 5 experienced players on the current Utah Jazz team, Lauri Markkanen has had Hendricks under his watch since last season. That’s why the 27-year-old believed Hendricks not returning would leave a gap in the team’s offensive efforts, as he said, “He (Hendrix) brings a lot to the table. His jump shot is better. He helps us with the distance. A great defender, he brings his length to the floor. We will miss him dearly.”

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, “hugs, pats and words of support” came in from all sides for the 20-year-old. With a possible big departure coming so early in the NBA season, and the Utah Jazz already sitting at 0-3, it remains to be seen how the team bounces back from this.