As he got closer to returning from a left shoulder injury, the biggest challenge the 22-year-old Exum faced was to convince his teammates that he could take contact even though he’s been sitting out the last five months.
And neither, it seems, are the Jazz, who have cleared Exum to play Thursday night against the Phoenix Suns. It’s a moment the team eagerly has anticipated, especially with a shrinking guard rotation.
The Australian guard steadily has worked his way back to shooting, ball-handling and finally taking contact since shoulder surgery at the end of October. Exum joined the Jazz on the last road trip, scrimmaging against two-way players Georges Niang and Erik McCree, and he went to two Salt Lake City Stars practices this week to work in five-on-five full-contact situations.