Utah Jazz: Day 1 At FIBA World Cup

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Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Dante Exum (Australia) is interviewed after being selected as the number five overall pick to the Utah Jazz in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Dante Exum

Coming into the World Cup, many analysts were excited to watch Utah Jazz new rookie Dante Exum play in a competitive tournament setting, especially against professionals (his last competitive game before Summer League was against high schoolers).

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As an Australian, the hype was doubly raised as I waited intently for him to tear apart the Slovenian defense with his speed and handles.

Sadly, it never happened.

Exum struggled last night, missing both of his two field goal attempts, with two rebounds and one assist in only 11 minutes of play.

Many Jazz fans were disappointed that Exum didn’t play more minutes, but that is due to the Australians already having a tried and set rotation before the tournament started. We could see that change over the next couple of games if Exum is able to outplay Matthew Dellavedova, who also had a poor shooting outing.

Exum looked out of his depth last night, and I am hoping it’s a case of nerves and chemistry issues rather than a damning indication on his talent. He wasn’t able to drive to the basket as easily as he would’ve like last night, as the Slovenian defense blocked the interior off.

And that should be a worrying sign for Jazz fans. If Exum isn’t able to improve his shooting, opposing defenses can just play off him and wall off the interior.

They will prefer to have him shoot the ball, rather than have him exploit his athleticism and drive past them.

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