Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum has been out since early January with an ankle injury, and it doesn't look like he will be back any time soon.
According to the team, Exum will need additional time to recover from his ankle issue due to a bone bruise that is accompanying the original sprain:
Danté Exum was re-examined by the Utah Jazz medical staff on Thursday.
Exum continues to make progress towards a return with a left ankle sprain but will require additional recovery time due to an accompanying bone bruise.
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— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 22, 2019
On paper, Exum does not look all that important.
In 39 games this season, he is averaging 7.4 points and 2.7 assists over 16.3 minutes per game while shooting 43.2 percent from the floor, 30.5 percent from three-point range and 79.1 percent from the free-throw line.
However, Exum's contributions go far beyond the box score, which is why the Jazz signed him to a three-year, $33 million contract extension this past summer.
Due to his length and athleticism, the 23-year-old is a very versatile defender with the ability to guard multiple positions. While he will likely never develop into the elite all-around floor general many felt he would become when Utah took him with the fifth overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, he absolutely has a role on the Jazz.
Of course, staying healthy has been a big problem for Exum throughout his brief NBA career.
After playing in all 82 games during his rookie campaign, the Aussie tore his ACL during the summer of 2015 and ended up missing the entire 2015-16 season as a result.
Then, last October, Exum underwent surgery and played in just 14 games during the 2017-18 campaign.
His ankle injury is just he latest health issue to surface and prevent him from reaching his potential as a key rotation player.
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