The Utah Jazz have a lot of things to look forward to next season, but a resurgent, post-ACL injury Dante Exum may not be one of them.
In an interview with Jody Genessy of the Deseret News on Saturday, Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said that there is still no specific timetable for Exum’s return to the court.
“I think that’s an injury that he’ll be back from, but it’s not a simple thing,” Snyder said. “There’s a process that you go through — any player with any injury…We don’t really have a specific timetable on that as far as where he is, but I know he’s missed playing. He loves to play and I think this will be an opportunity for him to start doing that again and I know he’s excited and we’re excited for him.”
The 21-year-old Exum tore his left ACL in an international friendly last August (video here) and missed the entire 2015-16 season. The Jazz recently announced an encouraging bit of news regarding his recovery, but Exum will nevertheless miss this summer’s Olympics in Rio to focus fully on his rehab.
Utah may ultimately benefit from bringing Exum along slowly. They upgraded at the point guard position by trading for George Hill last month and also signed Joe Johnson to serve as veteran wing depth. With Trey Burke now a Wizard and Hill a free agent at the end of next season, the Jazz could be better off ensuring Exum is fully healthy right now, since there will be more than enough time to hand him the reins to the backcourt in the near future.
H/T Rotoworld
