The debate about NBA players representing their countries in basketball events was ramped up when Indiana Pacers’ guard Paul George suffered a gruesome broken leg playing in a USA summer camp game a year ago. Fast forward to 2015 and once again a team is holding its breath following an injury to one of its players in international competition. Here is the latest on four important NBA injuries worth keeping an eye on with the season only a couple of months away.
Dante Exum, Utah Jazz
Exum suffered a torn ACL playing for Australia in a game against the Slovenian national team and there is no doubt his loss will be a major hit for the Jazz. Exum averaged only 4.8 points, 2.4 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 82 games as a rookie last season but he was absolutely dominant at the defensive end of the floor down the stretch. After he earned a starting role for the team’s final 29 games, Utah posted a 19-10 record over that span.
Exum posted a better defensive rating than Kawhi Leonard and Rudy Gobert for the month of March to solidify his status as a member of the team’s starting five. Exum will be sidelined for months with the torn ACL and while the Jazz remain confident they can compete for a playoff spot even without him, there is no doubt that this is a huge impediment on his development. We’re talking about a 20-year-old second-year player that the Jazz were hoping would take the next step. Now he’s going to lose a year of his development. The loss of the fifth-overall pick from the 2015 NBA draft will have a major impact on their season.
Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
Boston’s 2014 first-round pick is expected to return to basketball activities in two weeks after he suffered a minor setback to the injury he suffered in an NBA Summer League game. Smart suffered two dislocated fingers when he was caught diving for a loose ball in Las Vegas action and after five stitches and some time off it, looks like he will be back in late August, which should give him plenty of time to prepare for the season. Smart averaged 9.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists over the final 30 games of last season but in Summer League action, he looked like he had improved. He will look to build on his 2014 numbers with the Celtics this season.
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Jordan Adams, Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies’ 2014 first-round pick will take a few weeks off after he underwent minor knee surgery after suffering a setback while working on his game with Memphis coaches. Adams wasn’t an impact player for the Grizzlies whatsoever last season as he played in just 30 games, averaged 8.3 minutes and scored 3.1 per game.
However, this is a team that needs more help on the wing positions – especially in terms of three-point shooting. Adams should be healthy for the start of training camp where he will look to push Courtney Lee and Vince Carter for a role at the shooting guard position but there is no doubt it will be an uphill climb for the former UCLA man following a rocky start to his NBA career.
Kevon Looney, Golden State Warriors
Golden State will be just fine without its 2015 first-round pick but he is making progress from the hip issue. That issue a big reason why he dropped to No. 30 at this year’s NBA Draft. Looney has not decided whether he will have hip surgery or continue to try and allow the injury to heal naturally but he did admit to feeling pretty good about where he is at in his progress. The Warriors will be in no rush to get him on the floor, so don’t be surprised if he does elect to have surgery. He’s a player you’ll want to stash away for now but keep him on your radar in the second half of the season.
