Utah Jazz: Dante Exum’s situation is depressing, but PG has to stay up

Utah Jazz combo guard Dante Exum has gone under the knife once again. Perhaps more than ever, he needs to stay positive and attack the rehab process.

When Dante Exum entered the hallowed halls of the Association with the Utah Jazz way back in 2014, the world was his oyster. He may have been his draft’s international man of mystery, with limited tape on his actual hardwood exploits, but what was available had some people comparing him to Kobe and MJ. Yup, those were actually things.

Nearly five years later, a career that once seemed brimming with potential has been rife with horror stories. Massive injuries, inconsistency and what has to be the quickest hook you’ll ever see from a head coach have completely smashed Exum’s attempts to gain a foothold in the NBA. And his sordid tale just got more depressing.

On Thursday, the Jazz announced Exum had undergone surgery to repair a partially torn patellar tendon in his right knee and will be out indefinitely. The former No. 5 overall pick injured the knee on March 21, just days after returning from a 25-game absence caused by a sprained ankle and bone bruise.

That in and of itself is a gut punch for Exum, his team and the Jazzland masses. When you consider, though, that he’s already missed what amounts to multiple seasons thanks to a torn ACL and a shoulder separation and is years behind in his development as a pro, it becomes Rose watching helplessly as Jack lets go of the driftwood and sinks to the bottom of the ocean with the Titanic-level sad.

Which is why now, more than ever, the Aussie needs to tap into whatever positivity he can muster and attack his rehab process.

So much has happened to Exum already in his young career that you almost wouldn’t blame him for throwing up the white flag. He put his best foot forward to recover from previous injuries, but still ended up on the shelf once again. And, at this point, he’s a millionaire several times over regardless.

It’s not hard to see someone checking out and mailing it in given that scenario.

With Exum, though, the possibility for more, the possibility for greatness (or, at the least, very goodness?) — it’s still there, in spite of everything. He’s still young, and his size, length and speed are otherworldly, even by NBA standards. His defensive instincts far exceed what you’d expect from a player of his age and limited court time, too.

And, man, if he could ever become a guy that finishes at the tin, he could score almost at will, even with a busted jumper. That’s not something many players can claim to be able to do, even at the highest level of the game.

Players with that unique mix of inherent athletic talent and skill become stars in the league; guys that get $20-plus million a year to bounce a leather ball. And, even with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert rocking the hardwood, the Jazz could use another one of those.

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For them, it may be the difference between the team being pretty good and making cute, one or two-round playoff runs every year and achieving true contender status. And they’ll always stand a better chance of developing a difference-maker in-house than luring one to sleepy Salt Lake City via free agency.

So, for his own sake, as well as the Jazz’s, Exum can’t let his latest setback break him. Jazz fans and hoops bloggers like myself are free to get all depressed about his series of unfortunate events; he needs to do what he’s always done and get back to work.

That’s easier said than done, to be sure, but if he can do it…the payoff may well be worth all the agony in the end.