Dante Exum to Undergo Surgery on Shoulder Injury Suffered in Preseason

Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum will undergo surgery on his separated left shoulder.

On Monday, the Jazz announced Exum would undergo the surgery in an effort "to stabilize the AC joint of his left shoulder" after he separated it in an Oct. 6 preseason contest against the Phoenix Suns.

The announcement noted the surgery will happen Oct. 24 and "further updates will be provided when appropriate."

This comes after Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Saturday the point guard was "weighing rehabilitation options...that could preclude him from undergoing season-ending surgery."

Health problems have largely prevented the No. 5 overall pick in 2014 from living up to his potential with the Jazz.

He played all 82 games as a rookie, averaging 4.8 points and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 34.9 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from three-point range. However, he suffered a torn ACL while playing for the Australian national team and missed the entire 2015-16 season.

Exum bounced back some in 2016-17 with 6.2 points on 42.7 percent shooting and 1.7 assists per game, but this latest injury will thwart him from building upon that in the near future.

As for the Jazz and their quest for a second straight spot in the playoffs, they will likely rely on the combination of Ricky Rubio and Raul Neto to handle point guard duties. Joe Ingles and rookie Donovan Mitchell are also capable of handling the ball or playing on the wing and can utilize their versatility to help overcome Exum's injury.