Utah Jazz: In Defense Of Dante Exum

Are you a Utah Jazz fan? If you are, are you panicking about Dante Exum’s performance so far?

If so, please do yourself a favor and stop.

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There’s been so much written on Dante Exum and how poor he’s played ever since the Jazz selected him with the fifth pick. We’ve only seen him play 11 competitive games since the draft, and already people are calling him a “bust.” Let’s give the kid more time before we start labelling him as a failed project, shall we?

Yes, he’s looked shaky and not at all like a lottery pick in those performances. But what do you expect from a 19 year old who didn’t play a single competitive minute for almost a year before he was drafted?

The last time he was playing, it was against high schoolers! Yes, you read that right – HIGH SCHOOLERS.

As for his FIBA World Cup games, I wouldn’t read too much into them. I follow the Australian Boomers closely, and was very invested in Exum getting minutes. In the first two games, I was disappointed that Exum wasn’t getting as much playing time as I hoped he would, but I soon realized it wasn’t due to a lack of skill, but rather a lack of fit.

Exum’s greatest strength is his speed and athleticism. As we saw in the Summer League games, when he played off the ball, his best moments involved him cutting and receiving the ball near the rim. When used as the primary ball-handler, he would use high screens and dribble right into the heart of the defense. From there, he could pass it out or attack the rim himself.

But his style just doesn’t fit the Australians.

The Boomers like to initiate their offense through Aron Baynes in the post, and rely on him to score or kick out to three-point shooters on the perimeter. Alternatively, they run pick-and-rolls for Matthew Dellavedova, but it’s usually one screen and done.

Exum isn’t a good shooter (yet), and on occasion would cramp the spacing on offense. When they did play him as a primary ball handler, he wouldn’t have any screens set for him – it was up to Exum to play isolation offense. Even when he played alongside Dellavedova, the coach never ran plays for Exum to cut backdoor or off screens.

To me, that sounds like a lack of fit or bad coaching rather than Exum lacking in skill.

Despite all the bad press surrounding Exum’s performance, there were still some good signs. His athleticism seems to be top notch, out-speeding even the professionals at the World Cup. His first step takes people off their balance, and is a very effective tool when combined with a hesitation dribble. When given the chance to play the point, he set up his teammates with some nice, intricate passing.

And on defense, I was mildly surprised at how effectively he used his wingspan to bother opposing point guards. Even if his shooting never improves, he has the potential to be one of the top defensive point guards with his length and speed.

Overall, Exum had a pretty forgettable World Cup campaign. He showed flashes of brilliance, but it was ultimately disappointing for those that had big hopes. But, it’s too early to be calling it a failed project – Exum’s only 19. He’s out of shape, and with some experience and game conditioning under him, we might see his true potential.

Let’s hold off on the premature declarations until after we see 20 games from him. Until then, watch this clip and let your imagination run wild.

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