SALT LAKE CITY — Moments after falling hard to the court and writhing in pain on the hardwood floor in Friday night's preseason game, Utah Jazz point guard Dante Exum got up and sprinted to the locker room holding his left shoulder.
That moment might be the last time the tough-luck Australian is seen on the court for a long while.
The Jazz haven't announced what Exum's exact injury is or pronounced a timeline for recovery, but initial reports aren't looking good.
Exum could even miss the entire 2017-18 season with a separated left shoulder, ESPN.com reported Saturday morning. Team doctors and officials are conferring on the best options after an MRI test revealed damage to his shoulder.
"It wasn’t good if you saw his shoulder," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said.
The Jazz gave a non-update update at practice Saturday morning, but the team might not know the course of action it will take — including the possibility of surgery — for days.
Exum's unfortunate injury happened in the first quarter when Suns forward TJ Warren landed hard on him while trying to block the Jazz player's layup attempt. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound Suns forward leaped on top of Exum, whose left shoulder and body collapsed onto the court. The Utah point guard was in obvious pain after his left side crashed into the Vivint Arena court.
"That was a scary moment, to be honest with you — the way he got jumped over," Jazz rookie guard Donovan Mitchell said. "My thoughts are definitely with him. I told him at halftime that … God's going to be on his side."
Mitchell said Exum was "definitely upset" but positive in the locker room at halftime when his teammates saw him following the injury.
"He wanted to be out there. He’s worked so hard," Mitchell said. "He’s one of those kids who’s always positive, always thinking positive. To see him positive after a moment like that was definitely impressive. It's a statement to his character. My thoughts are with him, and I’m hoping he’ll be all right."
Exum had been playing well this preseason after working very hard all summer to have a big fourth season in the NBA. The 22-year-old showed signs of improvement last year after missing his sophomore season following knee surgery.
Other teammates tweeted their support to Exum after the injury.
"Thoughts with my guy @danteee (praying emoji)," Joe Ingles wrote.
"Praying for my man @danteee (three praying emojis)," Ricky Rubio wrote.
"Devastated for @danteee," Rudy Gobert tweeted, "... who worked very hard this summer and was ready for a big year, come back stronger brother."
Derrick Favors also expressed his concern for Exum in the locker room Friday after the Jazz's 112-101 preseason win.
"I felt bad for him. He’s a guy (who's) been working hard all summer. He came back to training camp probably one of the best guys in training camp, improved his game a lot," Favors said. "And it just happened. I felt bad for him. Playing hard and got hurt. I felt bad for him. I hope it's not too bad. I hope he comes back quick."
Warren also left the game. He fell and hit his head on concrete after closing out on a Rodney Hood 3-point bucket. Warren required five stitches in his head and was placed on the NBA’s concussion protocol.
This injury definitely weakens the Jazz at the point guard position behind Rubio.
Exum's absence will mean more playing time for backup point guard Raul Neto, who's sat out the past two games with tightness in his left quadriceps. Mitchell will also likely see some time at the point, and shooting guard Alec Burks can play minutes at the position as well.
Depending on how long Exum is out, it's possible the Jazz will pursue a Disabled Player Exception. That would allow Utah to bring in a player with a contract of up to $2.5 million, according to former NBA front-office executive Bobby Marks of ESPN.com, while carrying a total of 16 players including Exum.
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