Danté Exum Returns to Mavericks’ Lineup After Lengthy Injury Absence: “It’s Been a Long Road”

Danté Exum took the floor for the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, marking his first NBA game in over seven months. His return in a 117-102 loss to the Detroit Pistons was a step forward in the team’s push to get healthy after dealing with numerous injuries.

Exum, who underwent wrist surgery after suffering an injury on the first day of training camp, played 14 minutes off the bench. He finished with three points, two rebounds, one assist, and two turnovers. While his impact was limited, his presence signified the end of a lengthy recovery process.

“It’s been a long road,” Exum said. “A lot of ups and downs. Just the work to get back to this point, it’s been a lot. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win tonight, but there’s still a lot of work to do. Hopefully, I can get back to my normal self as quickly as possible.”

Exum suffered a torn ligament in his wrist, requiring surgery that sidelined him for the first three months of the season. His return on Friday came with expected challenges, as he showed signs of fatigue and struggled with his shooting, including a missed three-point attempt. He aggressively attacked the rim, drawing a foul on a dunk attempt against Jalen Duren, using his surgically repaired wrist to brace his fall.

“I’m mad at myself for doing it,” Exum said. “But I feel like it’s a hats off to me and the rehab team. It shows that we did our job, and I can come back and fall on it and still get back up. No fear going into the next game.”

Next Steps for Danté Exum

Exum will look to build on his return as the Mavericks continue their most extended road trip of the season. On Sunday, Dallas will face the Cleveland Cavaliers, followed by matchups against the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. Given his absence from five-on-five activity during recovery, these games will serve as valuable reps.

He remains on a minutes restriction but could take on a more significant role, especially with Irving and Dončić both questionable due to right shoulder soreness.

“Not much. Actually, none at all,” Exum said when asked about participating in full-contact scrimmages before his return. “We had our two-way guys playing a lot of minutes, so it was hard to play five-on-five, but we made it work.”

Despite some expected rust, Exum showed no hesitation in attacking the rim, often when playing out of double drag—once scoring on a finish, with another being to make a dropoff pass. He’s eager to regain the form that saw him average 7.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 55 games last season.

“It’s something I’ve done a thousand times,” Exum said. “Just this one time, it decided to snap or whatever it did.”

Some signs of rust for Exum included Ron Holland ripping the ball from him in the fourth quarter, resulting in a transition finish, then trying to attack him but coming up empty on the next play. Dallas was still in the game at this stage but gave up a run after—including Exum checking out and being replaced by Irving.

Still dealing with key injuries, the Mavericks will gradually increase Exum’s minutes as he works his way back to full strength. He could be even more necessary against Cleveland, with Kyrie Irving added to the injury report as questionable due to his right shoulder soreness. His ability to provide playmaking and defensive versatility will be critical as Dallas looks to stabilize its rotation.

Impact on Dallas Mavericks’ Guard Rotation

Exum’s return adds another layer of complexity to the Mavericks’ backcourt rotation, especially with Luka Dončić sidelined. Outside of Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie led the team’s reserve guards with 22 minutes against the Pistons, finishing with five points and four assists on 2 of 7 shooting. Quentin Grimes played 10 minutes, while Jaden Hardy logged just seven.

Head coach Jason Kidd acknowledged the challenge of managing minutes and emphasized Exum’s ability to create for teammates.

“Those are all different point guards,” Kidd said. “We’ve asked Spencer to be a playmaker. We’ve maybe shut down his engines as a scorer, so we want to get him back to scoring. Exum sets the table for everybody, so hopefully, we can get more minutes with him on the floor to be able to do that.”

Beyond the point guards, the Mavericks have a deep wing rotation to account for. Grimes went scoreless in his limited action, attempting just one shot. Hardy, used as a potential spark, missed both of his attempts.

“Yeah, we have a lot of players available, and managing minutes is a challenge,” Kidd said. “Tonight, it was Q that had to sit. We were hoping Hardy could provide a spark for us, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen tonight. With Marshall and others, we have many guards but not a lot of bigs. This means not everyone can play 15 to 20 minutes every game; sometimes, someone has to sit out.”

Kidd also hinted that Hardy’s role could diminish once Dončić returns.

“Hardy is another scorer—right now, we need guys to be able to play-make. I think we got the scoring part when 77 [Dončić] comes back,” Kidd said. “Someone’s definitely got to sit because we got the scoring and playmaking. And so there will be fewer minutes for some of those guys.”