Aug. 06--Utah guard Dante Exum tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee earlier this week while playing with the Australian national team, the Jazz confirmed Thursday.
Exum, 20, was the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. As a rookie he appeared in all 82 games with 41 starts, averaging 4.8 points, 2.4 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game.
In one summer league game, Exum put up 20 points with five assists for the Jazz.
Now Exum could end up missing the entire 2015-16 because of the injury.
"First and foremost, our overriding concern is with Dante and his long-term health," General Manager Dennis Lindsey said in a statement.
Exum suffered the injury during an Olympic qualifying game between Australia and Slovenia. The 6-foot-6 guard was driving the lane when he planted his feet to go up for a shot and fell backward onto the court.
Trey Burke will likely regain his starting role for the Jazz after losing out to the rookie last season. Burke, a two-year pro, has a career average of 12.8 points with 5.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game.
