Exum, Oni Have Heated Exchange At Jazz Practice

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Dante Exum and rookie guard Miye Oni were involved in a scuffle at practice after Exum took a hard fall when being defended by Oni.

Exum and Oni had been involved in a two-on-two drill with rookie Jarell Brantley and former BYU wing Kyle Collinsworth who signed with the Jazz yesterday. 

Exum had to be restrained by fellow players and members of the coaching staff momentarily before storming off the floor shouting as he exited towards the practice facility locker rooms. The drill occurred during the media viewing period.

Oni and Exum appeared physically exhausted before their run-in, as the four-man drill stretched into hour four of practice for the team.

Dante Exum took a spill at practice playing against Miye Oni and had to be restrained. He then stormed out of the gym. Intense moment.

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) October 13, 2019

Exum, entering his sixth year with the Jazz is still rehabbing from a partially torn patellar tendon he suffered in January of last season and has yet to appear on the floor through three preseason games. Oni, the 58th pick in June’s NBA draft has been a welcome surprise to the team, earning a fully guaranteed contract before the season started after a hot-shooting summer league in which he connected on 37% of his three-point attempts. 

The altercation ended the drill between the four players, and both Exum and Oni left the court.

The Jazz announced at media day they were no longer asking Dante Exum to play the role of a backup point guard and were more focused on finding a role for him on the floor simply as a basketball player. Oni has played 38 combined minutes for the Jazz in the preseason, averaging five points, two rebounds, and two assists. 

Dante Exum says his health is still a "day-to-day, week-to-week" thing through training camp.

Jazz have mentioned wanting to turn Exum into amore of a basketball player and less pigeonholed into a specific role.

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) September 30, 2019

The two players will likely compete for reserve guard minutes in the rotation when Exum returns to full health. The oft-injured Exum has played just 204 of a possible 410 regular season games since being drafted by the Jazz with the fifth overall pick in 2014. The Jazz have not given a definitive timeframe on Exum’s return to the floor.