Dante Exum's unfortunate injury presents the Mavericks youngster with a perfect opportunity

The threat of injury paid the Dallas Mavericks a visit before their official preseason start on Monday.

The injuries began with Luka Doncic suffering a bruised calf before the start of training camp and were followed by a wrist injury to Dante Exum while he was in training camp in Las Vegas. While Doncic's injury isn't expected to be serious, Exum's injury could prove costly for the Mavs.

Exum's injury could end up requiring surgery to repair, and this injury follows his finger injury that he sustained before the Olympics. Injuries mean he can never seem to catch a break, and his wrist injury provides the perfect opportunity for one of the young players off the bench to prove himself in front of Jason Kidd.

At Media Day, Kidd talked about how Jaden Hardy had been “patiently waiting” to get his chance to make a consistent impact with the Mavs, and Kidd promised that he would “get his chance. Hardy was in and out of the rotation last season, and Exum's injury immediately pushes him up the depth chart.

Last season for Dallas, Hardy averaged 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from downtown. Although Hardy had some great moments, he wasn't good enough to stay in Kidd's rotation.

Hardy's 3-point shooting, particularly from the corners, has suffered a huge decline compared to his rookie year, and that's a recipe for disaster when playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Although Hardy has much more to offer than 3-pointers from the catch, the fact that he couldn't knock down those open shots hurt his chances of being a consistent rotation player.

Hardy resurfaced in Dallas' rotation in the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals, and now he needs to keep that positive momentum going this season. Without Exum in the rotation to start the year, it will be up to Hardy and Spencer Dinwiddie to control the ball in this second unit.

Hardy is more than capable of playing real minutes and now it's his time to shine. If he can continue to develop as a true point guard, making the right reads and taking care of the ball, Hardy will be in a great position. Sometimes he falls victim to trying to do too much or being a step too late with his reads, but that's another area where he's made progress in the playoffs.

Hardy was great at reading the pick-and-roll and throwing lob passes, and that helped him stay in Kidd's rotation. He was on the same page as Daniel Gafford and his 3-point percentage rose to over 40 percent. His energy off the bench during the playoffs was priceless and he provided a spark that got everyone going.

Now it's Hardy's time, and if he can perform well during Exum's break, he could stay ahead of him on the depth chart even when he returns. This year will be crucial to Hardy's development as he enters a contract year, and while Exum's injury is unfortunate, it provides Hardy with a unique opportunity to prove he has what it takes to play regularly for the Mavs.