Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum is expected to be sidelined for three months, per ESPN, after the team announced he underwent wrist surgery Wednesday morning. Exum sustained the wrist injury during training camp, but the team was weighing multiple options before surgery was ultimately decided.
This is a blow to the Mavericks, but especially to Exum, who revived his NBA career last season after playing two years overseas. He proved to be a stout defender for the Mavericks, and retooled his shot to become a respected shooter. His counting stats don’t show how much of an impact he made: 7.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and thee assists, but he shot 49% from 3-point range on over 100 attempts. He also had a 64.5 true-shooting percentage last season, by far the highest of his career. Exum’s playing time and production dropped considerably in the postseason, but he still had some impactful moments. His defense and speed are constants.
It’s always a tough break when a team enters the season with injuries, but the Mavericks should be equipped to withstand Exum’s absence, especially after signing Spencer Dinwiddie late in the offseason to add some backcourt depth. Dinwiddie has found success with the Mavericks once before coming off the bench, when the team made a run to the Western Conference finals. Dinwiddie was a bright spot off the bench for Dallas then, and should be that once again with more playing time now that Exum is out for the next few months.
It could also mean more playing time for Jaden Hardy and Quentin Grimes off the bench as well, to cover for Exum’s absence. Grimes can pick up the slack on the defensive end in that second unit, and Dinwiddie and Hardy combined offer more offensive than Exum.
Exum is not a make-or-break player, but he can be a valuable innings eater in the regular season and the Mavericks will want to get him back as soon as possible.
