DALLAS — After making an impressive return to the NBA following multiple seasons playing in the EuroLeague, Dante Exum has been sidelined for much of the Dallas Mavericks' season since the start of 2024. He's appeared in just three games during this span but remains an essential talent within the team's roster makeup.
Exum is dealing with right knee bursitis, which has kept him sidelined since last playing during Luka Docnic's 73-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks during the team's win over the Atlanta Hawks on January 26.
The Mavs have not provided a clear return timetable, but the team will know more about a return to competition closer to the end of the All-Star break. The team is likely to practice on Tuesday, and if Exum participates, there will be a clearer understanding of when he may play again.
"Hopefully, he's back for practice on Tuesday," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said after Wednesday's game. "If he's back on Tuesday, I can give you a better answer, but I think his workouts have been great up to this point."
Exum has averaged 9.2 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game, shooting 57.1 percent from the floor, 477 percent from the perimeter, and 72.7 percent on free throws. As a starter, his production climbed to 14.5 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.6 rebounds in 14 games, boosting his limited chance to slot in alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving or fill in amid an injury.
"He's a basketball player. We're trying to keep this simple," Kidd said of Exum's impact earlier this season. "I know we're looking for a buzzword or something different in the world, but he's a basketball player — playing his role and being a star in his role, it's a pretty cool thing because he's not a max player. But he's playing like a max player.
"It's a beautiful thing to watch. He deserves Everything he's getting right now," Kidd explained. "The expectations were off the charts for him when he was drafted at 18, but sometimes it just takes people a little bit longer."
Doncic had significant praise for Exum, calling him an "amazing" player when the team was thriving while he filled in for Irving, who dealt with an injury at the time. At this point, staying healthy will be instrumental, but the results he's proven capable of achieving cannot be overlooked. Dallas has gone 8-5 this season in his 13 starts.
"Amazing, man. Honestly, he's been amazing so far," Doncic said of Exum. "Not just really good, but amazing. His IQ is insane. He's driving to the basket. His layups, he's been hitting 3s. I'm really happy that he's on the team because he's been a great addition to our team."
With the Mavs entering the All-Star break on a six-game winning streak, there is significant optimism about what they can achieve after acquiring P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. Dallas has yet to experience what the team can accomplish when adding Exum, someone who solidified himself as a starter before recent injuries.
Regardless of Exum's role after returning to competition, the Mavs have the luxury of deploying various styles of lineups, with his playmaking, on-ball defense, and general intangibles factoring in as an intriguing chesspiece in many of those configurations.
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