Australian guard Dante Exum's minutes in the Utah backcourt could be about to take an extended hit, with Jazz starting point guard George Hill taking out NBA Western Conference player of the week honours.
Hill, recruited by the Jazz this season to assume chief playmaking duties while Exum continued his comeback from a knee reconstruction, averaged 20.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds for the week while leading Utah to a 3-2 record.
The recognition comes a day after Exum was held scoreless while playing a season-low 11 minutes in a win over New York at Madison Square Garden, the Aussie taking just one shot for the game.
Hill conversely logged a season-best 35 minutes, with the return of star small forward Gordon Hayward for his first game of the season also eating into available court time.
Prior to the game against the Knicks, Exum had seen his minutes progressively increase from 14 to 20 to 29 in Utah's previous three games - the last of which produced seven points, seven rebounds and two assists in a loss to San Antonio.
Cleveland superstar LeBron James claimed the Eastern Conference player of the week award for the second straight week.
AAP