Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum is weighing rehabilitation options on his separated left shoulder that could preclude him from undergoing season-ending surgery, league sources told ESPN.
The Jazz and Exum have been exploring multiple medical opinions on an injured shoulder that suffered ligament damage in a preseason game collision on Oct. 6.
For Exum, the shoulder separation is the second significant injury of his young NBA career. He missed his second pro season after tearing his ACL in the summer of 2015 playing his national team in Australia.
After working his way back into condition a season ago, Exum had a solid showing in the Western Conference playoffs and had been impressive for the Jazz in the summer and preseason.
For Utah, rookie guard Donovan Mitchell and veteran Joe Ingles are expected to carry expanded ball-handling duties along with starting point guard Ricky Rubio. Utah has a third point guard, Raul Neto, on its roster too.
Exum, a native of Australia who was selected by Utah with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft, averaged 6.2 points and 2.0 rebounds last season.