Report: Jazz Guard Dante Exum Likely to Return This Week

The Jazz are getting a key player back in time for a playoff push.

In a development that could be a major boost to the Jazz’s playoff hopes, point guard Dante Exum is expected to return to game action at some point this week, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. 

Utah has games on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday—all at home—and another game on March 20 before leaving on a three-game road trip. 

Exum has not played this season after separating his left shoulder during a preseason game on Oct. 7, an injury that required surgery to fix. It was initially feared Exum could miss the entire season, which would be his second season lost to injury in just four years in the NBA, but Exum made good progress in his rehab and the team targeted the end of March for his return. 

The sooner Exum’s return comes, the better. The Jazz just lost backup point guard Raul Neto to a broken wrist—he will be out at least two weeks—and are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. They’re currently 37–30, in a three-way tie for the eighth playoff spot with the Nuggets and Spurs.