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2014 NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Australia’s Dante Exum

By Andrew Anderson

June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; A general view of the stage before the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; A general view of the stage before the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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Strengths
What stands out immediately about Exum is his combination of size and length at the point guard position. At 6’6” with a 6’9” wingspan he would be in rare company when it comes to size at the point and would immediately have a physical advantage over nearly every other lead-guard in the NBA. He combines that elite size with great speed, agility and an elite first step.

That quickness allows him to get by defenders and into the paint at will, finishing around the rim and drawing fouls with regularity. His first step allows him to create shots for himself as well as drawing help defenders and setting up teammates for open shots. He has shown improvement and a willingness to work at his outside shooting, becoming more consistent as a catch-and-shoot option.

His size and length give him the potential to be a great defender and the versatility to defend multiple positions. He uses his long arms and quickness to poke the ball free, getting steals and igniting the fast break. Exum comes across as an extremely intelligent young man with a high understanding of the game and has been putting in a great deal of work prior to the draft to improve.

Weaknesses
The biggest question with Exum remains the lack of top competition he has faced leading up to the draft. While he has taken his opportunities in international competition with both hands, he has not faced the consistent level of talent that his counterparts in the NCAA or Europe have.

At just 18 years old and not having that exposure to top level competition, Exum is still extremely raw and may take some time to contribute at the NBA level. He needs to work on his ball handling, specifically his left hand as he can lose control or have the ball stripped quite often. The other major aspect of Exum’s game that needs to improve is his shooting. He has quite a flat shot and while he has improved as a set shooter he needs to work on shooting off the dribble and becoming more consistent from outside.

He appears set on playing point guard and while he has the raw ability he doesn’t have the natural playmaking that you might expect from a top level point. Needs to continue to work on his passing and play calling if he wants to play lead guard full time. While he has great physical tools a lack of explosiveness and strength is an issue around the rim if he is going to finish against the size of NBA big men.

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