Utah Jazz: Three silver linings to the Dante Exum injury

Alleviates wing log-jam, opens opportunities for others

Going into the 2017-18 season, it was clear that the Utah Jazz were pretty dang deep at the wing positions. Their starters were clearly slated to be newly acquired Ricky Rubio and rising star Rodney Hood, but waiting to come in off the bench was a slew of effective guys, namely Dante Exum, Donovan Mitchell and Alec Burks.

Fans clamored for Exum to get meaningful playing time last year and it appeared that 2017-18 would finally be the season that he was granted that opportunity. However, there’s no denying that the development of Donovan Mitchell, who could turn into a star, is important as well. Then there was Alec Burks who, although many hoped he’d round back into form, was projected by most to be the odd man out of the rotation.

However, after seeing his stellar preseason play thus far, he’s made a statement that he deserves to be on the court. Therein laid a difficult question facing Quin Snyder – which guards deserved the most playing time night in and night out of those five?

Now, however, the answer becomes pretty clear. Barring a major turnaround or (heaven forbid) further injuries to Alec Burks, he very much ought to be in the rotation, likely playing alongside Mitchell in the second unit. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know personally I’d much rather have Exum in there to help balance out Mitchell’s inexperience and Burks’ oft times unpredictability, but since we’re looking at silver linings, at least now the wing rotation ought to be pretty cut and dry.

Mitchell may have to be forced into running the point sooner than projected, but his former head coach at Louisville stated that the point is indeed Mitchell’s best position, so perhaps logging extended time at the point guard spot against NBA competition will indeed help him become a more effective player down the road.

Whether that ends up being the case or not, there’s certainly no debating that he’ll have to step up big time in Exum’s absence, regardless of whether he’s playing at the one or the two.

Meanwhile, Burks, who as I mentioned was projected by many to see very limited time off the bench, will now likely have a key role for the Jazz with Exum temporarily out of the mix. This will be his chance to prove his worth, something he has done exceptionally so far in preseason. As much as it pains me to see Exum go down, it will also be a glorious redemption story if Burks is then allowed to utilize this expanded opportunity afforded him to prove he truly can be a contributor.

So does having Exum out hurt the Jazz? Without a doubt. But hopefully when he returns, Mitchell will have gained some much-needed experience, Burks will have rounded back into form and an even stronger Dante will be able to produce a deadly attack alongside his two teammates who took advantage of his lengthy absence.