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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum had surgery on Wednesday to repair a partially torn patellar tendon in his right knee, the Jazz announced on Thursday.
The surgery was successful, the team said.
Exum will be out indefinitely and will begin rehab as soon as possible. But the surgery means his season is likely over. Exum appeared in 42 games and averaged 6.9 points, 2.6 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 2018-19.
Just this season, Exum has dealt with a high-ankle sprain, a bone bruise that came with the sprain, and now the torn patellar tendon.
The high-ankle sprain and accompanying bruise kept Exum out for 25 games. He returned for three contests before going down with the right knee injury.
“Your heart breaks for him," Jazz guard Kyle Korver said. "He’s had a tough stretch with injuries, not just this year. You want to play basketball, you want to compete, this is what we think about every day, what we work for every day. When it’s taken from you, it’s a hard thing.”
When Exum's tear was initially announced, Jazz coach Quin Snyder said he remained confident that the Australian point guard selected No. 5 in the 2014 NBA draft would still go on to have a long NBA career.
“You just feel awful for him, first and foremost," Snyder said. "Knowing the progress that we saw up until the point that he hurt his ankle, and again working to where he could come back. ... He has a long career ahead of him and we can continue to use it to get better."
