Dante Exum has marked his NBA return from wrist surgery, shaking off the cobwebs as Dallas suffered a 117-102 loss to Detroit.
Exum was playing his first game of the season, having missed 48 matches after a routine dunk attempt at a training camp went badly awry.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd confirmed before the match in Detroit that Exum would be restricted to a maximum of 15 minutes.
The Australian, who played a key role in securing the Boomers’ breakthrough bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, spent 14 minutes on court – tallying three points, two rebounds and an assist.
Kidd would have been particularly thrilled to see the guard get up quickly to take a free throw in the fourth quarter after a hard fall.
Exum leapt to the basket then used his surgically repaired wrist to brace after being fouled by Pistons big man Jalen Duren.
The Victorian’s recovery has taken longer than expected, with injuries to Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II and Maxi Kleber also stretching the Mavericks’ depth this season.
“He’s a team guy,” Kidd said of Exum.
“(He’s) a guy who can set the table, can push it, play defence, connect on open shots.
“We missed him in a big way, so we’re happy to have him back.”
Exum helped the Mavs surge through last year’s playoffs, culminating in a 4-1 series loss to Boston in the NBA finals.
But injuries have been an all-too-common source of frustration for the 29-year-old, who was sidelined throughout his second year in the NBA after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while playing for the Boomers.
Exum has also battled shoulder, ankle, toe and foot setbacks. He dislocated a finger on the eve of the Paris Olympics, then hurt his wrist during a training mishap in October.
“I tried to dunk on somebody and when I dunked the ball, I guess my wrist just hit the rim at the wrong angle,” he told the club website.
“It was on the rim. I didn’t fall on it or anything. Obviously, a bit frustrating.
“It’s something I’ve done a thousand times. But I think that’s just how it goes sometimes.”
Exum’s return came a day after veteran Joe Ingles, who played 313 games across eight years for Utah, enjoyed a memorable homecoming.
Fans in Salt Lake City chanted Ingles’ name and gave the visiting Minnesota forward a standing ovation as he came off the bench in the Timberwolves’ 138-113 win.
In other notable results on Saturday (AEDT), Josh Giddey’s 15 points and seven rebounds helped Chicago defeat Toronto 122-106.
Victor Wembanyama amassed 30 points and 14 rebounds to lead San Antonio to a rousing 144-118 home win over Milwaukee, snapping a four-game home losing streak.
Second-year French phenom Wembanyama didn’t flinch when going toe-to-toe with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, standing his ground when Antetokounmpo tried to get physical with him on a handful of occasions in the fourth quarter.
Jayson Tatum’s jumper with 0.7 seconds left gave defending champions Boston a dramatic 118-116 victory over the short-handed New Orleans.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/basketball/injured-aussie-exum-returns-after-missing-48-nba-games-c-17579890
