Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon back in March, the latest devastating blow in what has been a career full of them.
For Exum, who was finally getting into a groove in the NBA after landing a three-year extension from the Jazz last summer, says that this particular injury was very tough on him:
“It’s been the toughest road for me,” said Exum, according to Aaron Falk of the Jazz's official team website. “I’m not going to lie. Going through this—this was definitely the hardest one. But I felt like I’ve dealt with it the best.”
The 23-year-old was limited to just 42 games this season, as he also dealt with ankle issues earlier in the year. When he was on the floor, he averaged 6.9 points and 2.6 assists per game, which are far from the numbers Utah expected when it drafted him back in 2014, but Exum was beginning to develop into a versatile defender and was carving out a niche for himself in the league.
“It’s frustrating to go into an offseason injured,” added Exum. “But I’ve thrown a lot of my energy and time into planning what my offseason will look like so I can be the best player I can be coming out of it.”
Exum's NBA career has been defined by injuries thus far, as he missed all of the 2015-16 campaign with a torn ACL and appeared in just 14 contests during the 2017-18 season as a result of shoulder surgery.
But he is ready to get healthy and hopefully become a part of something great in Utah:
“We’ve got something,” he said. “We’re building something great. We’re only getting closer as a team.”
The Jazz will try to get back to the playoffs next season.
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