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Toronto • Jazz point guard Dante Exum returned to action Thursday night after a two-week absence he believes will be a benefit to his surgically repaired knee, and not a sign of trouble ahead.
"I was kind of battling it for a bit while I was playing," Exum, who missed seven straight games because of his tendinitis, said. "It was time I sat on the sidelines and got it right."
Jazz coach Quin Snyder called the time off a "pragmatic" decision by Exum and team doctors some 16 months after the young guard tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
"A lot of guys that have [an ACL tear], it takes until All-Star break, and then a lot of times it's not until the next year when you see the same athleticism, the same pop," the coach said.
On one play last month, Exum jumped off his left leg and felt a pain that would flare up later.
"It's just a sharp pain whenever I run or jump," he said. "So it was definitely limiting me playing to my full potential. That's why I had to make the decision."
Exum says he has battled tendinitis since before the Jazz drafted him in 2014, and that he is not concerned about lingering issues with his knee.
The point guard also said he has been working on his hips and gluteal muscles, which should help limit the impact on his joint over the course of the season.
"It's something I've got to keep under control," he said. "We've got it under control. Now it's just managing it while I'm playing."
The Wright stuff
Former Runnin' Ute star Delon Wright has yet to make his season debut as he works his way back from an offseason shoulder surgery. But the young point guard will have to be patient even when he does return action.
"Right now Cory [Joseph] and Kyle [Lowry] are doing an excellent job, so he's going to have to scratch and fight and try to get some minutes in there somewhere," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.
Casey, however, believes Wright has what it takes to be a contributor in the future.
"Preseason was going to be a big time, because I thought he was playing as well as anyone in the summertime before he got hurt," the coach said. "… He's a talented young man and we're excited to get him back in the fold."
On the mend
Sitting at his locker before tipoff Thursday, George Hill carefully ate a few pieces of fruit — and the Jazz hope that progress will help him clear the NBA's concussion protocol soon.
Hill missed a third straight game Thursday with a cut lip and concussion symptoms. It has been difficult for the Jazz point guard to eat with 21 stitches in his bottom lip and his coach said that may be having other impacts as he's tried to recover from an elbow to the face on New Year's Eve.
"He started eating more than rice yesterday. Hopefully that will help too," Snyder said. "… It's hard to tell the difference. I know he hasn't eaten because of his lip. Is his mouth making him weak so when he goes through the protocol he doesn't feel right? It's hard to say."
Twitter: @aaronfalk