The injuries have just kept on coming for the Dallas Mavericks over the last couple of weeks.
While there haven't been any new overwhelmingly serious injuries outside of the illness that wouldn't leave them alone for multiple weeks, it seems like every time that someone gets healthy, a different player gets injured.
Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Naji Marshall, Dereck Lively II, Klay Thompson, and P.J. Washington have all missed games here and there due to various injuries and illness, but there has been one Maverick who hasn't touched the floor all season.
Kidd says Exum is 'trending in the right direction' following wrist surgery
Dante Exum hurt his wrist at the beginning of training camp which required him to have surgery, and Jason Kidd gave the media an idea of when he could be returning during his press conference ahead of Saturday night's game against the LA Clippers.
Kidd said that Exum has been doing everything that he can with his left hand and "working extremely hard," but it doesn't sound like he can do anything with his right hand (his shooting hand) just yet as that is the wrist that he had surgery on.
"He is doing a lot of work on the floor," Kidd said. "He's trending in the right direction."
This was one of the first (if not the first) updates on Exum's right wrist injury, and Kidd seemed pleased when discussing what he has been able to do in practice. It didn't seem like a return is coming anytime soon, but it does sound like Exum is working hard, staying in playing shape, and doing everything he can possibly do with his left hand to stay ready when the time comes for him to begin rehabbing that hurt right wrist.
When the injury happened, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Exum would miss three months, and the three-month mark from when he reported this will be on January 9. Dallas' other guards off the bench such as Spencer Dinwiddie have helped hold down the fort since Exum has gone down, but his return should give the Mavs a significant boost if he can return to playing as well as he did during most of the regular season last season.
Exum averaged 7.8 points per game while shooting 49.1 percent from downtown, and his on-ball defense and ability to handle the ball were huge for Dallas down the stretch. He also stepped up in several clutch moments over the course of the season, and Kidd had major trust in him until the playoffs rolled around.
Exum went from playing 19.8 minutes per game during the regular season to playing 6.9 minutes per game during the playoffs, and he ultimately looked unplayable by the end of it.
If Exum can return to his regular season form from last season, the Mavs will be golden. Having one more point-of-attack defender and ball handler off the bench is definitely ideal right now, and Exum can bring all of that and more.
He was truly one of the most consistent players on the team last year, but injuries ultimately got in the way as the season went on as he only played in 55 games. He was healthy when it mattered most, and this could be the case again this season if he can stay healthy once returning from this wrist injury.
