Utah Jazz: Dante Exum Putting It Together At the Right Time
By Adam Coffman
Dante Exum has transformed into a reliable rotation piece for the Utah Jazz as of late and is beginning to show flashes of the player many saw him as before coming into the league.
For most of his three-year career, it has seemed that Dante Exum will never live up to the high billing his status as a top-five draft pick granted him. The Utah Jazz have seen their young Australian struggle through a steep learning curve his rookie year, then miss the entire 2015-16 season due to an ACL tear.
This year, his first season back at just 21 years old, Exum spent most of his time on the bench, playing spot minutes in garbage time or filling in for injured teammates. However, as Jazz head coach Quin Snyder has given him some run in the latter half of the year, he’s shown glimpses of the player many thought he could be.
Exum has never been a shooter from long range, checking in at just under 31 percent from deep over his short career. In an era dominated by three-point shooting, this puts him at a disadvantage as far as offense goes.
Luckily, Exum has the physicality necessary to become a strong player in areas other than shooting. At 6’6″ with a 6’10” wingspan, he towers over opposing point guards, allowing him to work into the paint with ease.
Although he is lanky, Exum has no shortage of quickness or athleticism, capable of bursting to the rim at a moment’s notice or using a head fake to drive right by a defender on the perimeter. Unfortunately, this explosiveness can manifest into carelessness, as 47 of his 68 turnovers have been of the “lost ball” variety.
Utah Jazz
During his rookie season, he was all too comfortable taking long range jumpers, with 64 percent of his field goal attempts coming from behind the three-point line.
This season, that number is down to just under 40 percent – still a bit high for someone hitting just 29 percent of those looks, but indicative of learning.
Perfecting his shooting touch will be a top priority this offseason, but Exum is already showing signs of improvement, hitting 36 percent of his threes since the All-Star break.
It’s easy to see how this increase in efficiency has in turn opened up driving lanes to the hoop.
Once he gets into the paint, Exum is a burgeoning finisher with many tools available to him, as laid out by Nick Sciria of Bballbreakdown.
Although he shoots a decent 53 percent from two-point range overall, he doesn’t get to the line a ton, shooting just 2.5 free throws per 36 minutes.
Playing with more skilled players like Gordon Hayward or George Hill, Exum has a tendency at times to remain motionless in the corner while other players dominate the ball. This explains his relatively low usage rate of just 18.6 percent, but it’s certainly not an optimal strategy for someone without a reliable shot.
In truth, Exum is at his best when in constant motion in the half court, sprinting off-ball on rim-runs or back cuts inside the Jazz’s half court offense. According to Synergy, he grades out at the 81st percentile on cuts, scoring 1.41 points per possession.
The finer points of the offensive game — running an effective pick-and-roll, mastering the ins and outs of a complex offense like the Jazz’s, or manipulating defenders with the eyes — are all things that can and should be picked up with time and experience in the league.
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Defensively, Exum’s length is again a factor. He doesn’t, or at least hasn’t, used it to rack up steals or blocks (averaging 0.3 and 0.2 per game, respectively), but still does a nice job thwarting drives and staying out in passing lanes.
His less-than-optimal defense of the pick-and-roll (46th percentile, according to Synergy) can mostly be explained by his lack of full-time experience at an NBA level.
That being said, he shows promise on switches thanks to his big body, being able to thwart a roll man posting up following a screen.
Exum is a nice complement to starting point guard George Hill, who prefers operating in the pick-and-roll and spotting up for threes, which he hits at near-40 percent accuracy.
Coming off the bench, the Australian offers a change of opponents who may have grown accustomed to Hill’s more methodical style, attacking relentlessly in transition and off of catches on the perimeter.
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As they enter into the more meaningful part of their schedule, the Jazz will need all their pieces locked in and ready to contribute. Exum will be on a short leash, but if he can replicate the flashes he’s shown so far with consistency, he’ll definitely have a role to play in the postseason.