SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz had the worst point guard rotation in the NBA last season.

Raul Neto was a rookie, making an admirable effort to compete nightly at the league’s most talented position, while Trey Burke tried to settle into a role as an off the bench rotation player. While Neto proved that he was capable of surviving in the NBA, averaging 5.9 points, on respectable shooting percentages, 43 percent from the floor, and nearly 40 percent from the three-point line, he looks better suited as a reserve guard with the Jazz.

Burke is now playing as a backup in Washington, while Neto appears to be competing for third-string minutes behind George Hill, who the Jazz acquired on draft night from the Indiana Pacers, and Dante Exum, returning from a knee injury that he suffered in the summer of 2015.

Exum, a former top-five draft pick, in what was billed as a once in a generation draft, was at one point thought to be the future of the team. And while the potential is still there, as a 6-foot-6 wing, with elite size, length and speed, and an intellect unmatched by most 21-year-olds, fans may be wise to temper their expectations ahead of his sophomore season.

While Exum showed elite instincts on the defensive side of the ball, he struggled mightily on offense. As a rookie, starting in 41 games, Exum averaged a paltry 5.1 points, 2.7 assists and 1.8 rebounds a night on percentages of 33 from the floor and 32 from the three-point line.

While a leap in production was to be expected in his second NBA season, and was flirted with during a brief summer league appearance, Exum must now return to the league from a major knee injury, while trying to improve on his rookie numbers.

Unfortunately for the Jazz, they no longer have time to wait for his development to match theirs. The Jazz this off season added the aforementioned Hill, traded for veteran Boris Diaw and signed Joe Johnson to a lucrative contract.

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The Jazz, after years of rebuilding, must now win to keep not only the fan base happy, but the roster as well, with Gordon Hayward becoming a free agent in the summer of 2017, and 29 teams potentially soliciting his services.

So what can fans expect from Exum this season?

The major determining factor for Exum will be how many minutes he has available to him in the rotation.

Last season starting for the Pacers, Hill averaged 34 minutes per game, and at the age of 30 with good health, should be able to find similar playing time with the Jazz. If Exum were to earn all of the backup minutes with the Jazz at point guard, Exum would have 14 minutes available to him on a nightly basis. That would fall eight minutes off his nightly average as a rookie with the Jazz, and would severely impact what is already underwhelming statistical production.

I was given the privilege of watching the Jazz scrimmage at Granger High School before their first preseason game against Portland, and witnessed Exum sharing backcourt duties with Shelvin Mack, who became the Jazz's full-time starter after finding his way to Utah in a trade deadline deal.

Mack, a more experienced guard, likely gives the Jazz a better opportunity to win games now, which may gain him minutes over Exum as the season progresses. Exum did find minutes playing at the shooting guard position alongside Mack, filling in for the injured Alec Burks. If the Jazz are looking to keep Exum around the 20 minute per night average, lining up at both guard spots may very well solve that issue.

At 20 minutes a night, coming off a major injury, Jazz fans should temper their expectations for Exum. After all, he’s still just 21, entering the second season of his career. As was the case in his rookie season, his defensive impact on the floor won’t be reflected in his traditional statistical output, and his scoring opportunities may shrink with more talent around him.

The best option for Jazz fans may be to shift their expectations onto Hill, and enjoy the improvement he’ll make over last season’s starters, while treating Exum’s sophomore season as another developmental opportunity for the promising young player. After all, the Jazz’s backup point guard wasn’t solely responsible for the team missing the playoffs last year, and Exum can’t be held to a different standard in 2016.

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