Utah Jazz's Taylor Hendricks Opens Up on Return From Injury

The Utah Jazz have gotten the motions of preseason underway with now three exhibition games under their belt, all of which have offered a look at Taylor Hendricks back on the floor for the first time in almost a full calendar year since his devastating leg injury of last season.

So far, Hendricks' initial sample size has been notably positive, averaging 14.7 points and 4.7 rebounds a night while playing over 27 minutes in all three games. He's looked healthy, confident, and picking up right where he left off during his sophomore campaign.

And three games in, Hendricks is loving what he's seen, both out of himself and from the team as a whole.

"It's a blessing to play with these guys," Hendricks said after the Jazz's preseason game vs. the Dallas Mavericks. I'm loving the way we're playing. We're getting better every game. And I feel great out there; my body feels great. So, it's a blessing, for sure."

Hendricks even played an eye-catching 34 minutes in his second preseason game back in the fold for Utah vs. the San Antonio Spurs, a contest that wound up stretching into overtime, albeit a narrow loss for the Jazz, 130-134.

"Overtime, yeah, I wasn't expecting to play that much. But, would definitely rather be playing than not."

Oct 8, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) dribbles the ball as Utah Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks (0) defends during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Hendricks has spent the summer busy in the gym and with his rehab to get to the point where he's at now—showcasing the athleticism and defensive ability, shot-making, and working on the glass. But some aspects of his game can still use some extra in-game reps to get closer to developing into the player he wants to be.

For Hendricks, that revolves improving his reaction time.

"Probably just reaction time; thinking the game faster," Hendricks said of the hardest thing to get back after his injury. "I think there's some possessions where I feel like I'm a little bit slower. That's probably the only thing, but that just comes with reps."

Now back to 100%, Hendricks will have all the reps he needs during the Jazz's upcoming season, banking on the roster's youth movement to develop further into his aspired two-way stardom, and has shown all of the right signs early in the preseason slate to inspire some of that confidence.

Hendricks will have one more preseason contest on the horizon against the Portland Trail Blazers before the real action gets underway. But so far, so good for the third-year forward.

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