After re-signing Dante Exum this offseason, the Utah Jazz will want to see a few key improvements from the former fifth overall pick this season.
The start to the career of Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum has not quite gone as expected. As a top five pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, he was supposed to have blossomed into a star by now. Or at least cracked the starting point guard spot on the team.
Instead, he has been plagued by injuries and inconsistent play.
Those are things that are clearly outside of his control. As a player and a franchise, there is very little you can do to predict and prevent injuries. Especially one like a dislocated shoulder caused by a player who will remain nameless landing on top of you.
Since joining the league in 2014, Exum has only appeared in 162 of 328 possible games. That means he has only played in 49.4 percent of games since entering the league. It is hard to advance your game and increase your skill set when you are always rehabbing in the offseason.
For a change, Dante Exum won't have to spend all summer rehabbing from a major injury. That bodes well for both him and Jazz as he prepares for next season. Exum is a restricted free agent, but both sides want him back in Utah for 2018-19. https://t.co/vECWuaU7uX pic.twitter.com/64QCOBTqOa
— Salt Lake Tribune Sports (@sltribsports) May 10, 2018
That is what makes this offseason so exciting for Dante Exum. He will finally have the chance to devote the time into bettering his skill set, and can enter a season completely healthy.
The Jazz just gave Exum a three-year, $33 million contract with the assumption that he is still going to maximize his potential. At first glance, that dollar amount may seem too high, but by years end, it could begin to look like a steal.
Given an entire offseason of work, here are the three things the Jazz are going to want to see from Exum this upcoming season.