Dante Exum to Make Jazz Season Debut vs. Suns After Shoulder Injury Recovery

Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum will make his season debut in Thursday night's game against the Phoenix Suns, the team announced Wednesday.

Exum, 22, has missed Utah's first 68 games after suffering ligament damage and separating his shoulder in an October preseason game against Phoenix. The injury was considered bad enough that it put his entire season in jeopardy.

However, Exum returned to practice with the G League's Salt Lake City Stars this week in preparation for making his debut. He averaged 6.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in 2016-17.

The Jazz are desperate for help in the backcourt after Raul Neto suffered a fractured wrist. Neto had emerged as a solid backup behind Ricky Rubio, and his injury left the team without an obvious solution at the second point guard spot.

"His rehab has gone almost seamlessly," said Utah general manager Dennis Lindsey, according to Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune. "He's a kid that worked very hard to get back to a point where he can possibly play. We're just happy for the kid, and we want the best for him."

The Jazz are currently eighth in the Western Conference, as part of a tight race that separates the 3-10 seeds by only five games in the loss column. Utah has an identical record to the San Antonio Spurs, who are in ninth, but holds holds the tiebreaker.

Exum has played in just 148 games in his fourth NBA season and is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. How he plays over this final stretch could determine the level of interest he garners on the open market.