Former Utah Jazz lottery pick Dante Exum suffered a wrist injury last week, which will cause him to miss a good chunk of the season. ESPN's Shams Charania reported via his X account that Exum will miss three months of the season.
Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum is expected to miss three months after undergoing right wrist surgery, sources tell ESPN. Extended early loss to Mavericks backcourt. pic.twitter.com/QF9nQ84two
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 9, 2024
It was obviously a tough blow for Exum and the Mavericks, seeing how he factored into their success last season, but at the very least, it won't prematurely end his season. It's not as though Exum has had any good luck from his most recent injury, but knowing his history, it could have been worse.
Dante Exum's had much worse and much more inconvenient injuries
Exum defiitely flashed his potential during his rookie year with the Jazz. He looked raw, but his defense was excellent while what needed development was his individual offense. Exum came in believed to be an oversized point guard, meaning his body should have given him plenty of matchup advantages.
Sadly, though, Exum never really got the chance to put it together, and a lot of that was attributed to untimely injuries.
First it started with an ACL tear in 2015 that caused him to miss what should have been his sophomore year, then he messed up his shoulder just before the 2017-18 season, which proved inconvenient since Exum would have had the chance to prove himself following Gordon Hayward's departure.
Those were among the worst of the many injuries Exum went through when he played in Utah. Despite the injuries, Exum would show flashes of the player Utah envisioned when they drafted him in 2014.
Exum still had staunch supporters in Utah throughout all of that, but they never had their faith rewarded. It was no one's fault, and watching Exum have his comeback last season was fun for Jazz fans who rooted for him to watch.
It's why, at first glance, it's sad to see history repeat itself with Exum again. At the same time, it's been much, much worse for him in the past. Both he and Utah know that from their time together. Exum will have to prove himself again when he returns, but he's all too familiar with such a challenge.
He may never be a star, but Exum at least proved that he should be in the NBA going forward. It's crazy to know that he's only 29 years old since the Jazz drafted him over 10 years ago.