Dante Exum Reminds Everyone of His Potential at Utah Jazz Summer League

SALT LAKE CITY — On Dante Exum's first drive of the 2015 Utah Jazz Summer League, it became clear that something was different.

Against Marcus Smart, one of the stingiest and most physical on-ball defenders in the league, Exum used his speed and quickness to get to the paint, then knocked his man off balance with some newfound strength.

The space he created was just enough to drop a look-away dime to big man Jack Cooley:

Strength, confidence and a desire to get into the paint were three things Jazz fans wondered about in regard to Exum for much of an up-and-down rookie campaign.

He answered all of those questions with his play against the Boston Celtics on Monday before suffering a sprained ankle that kept him out of Utah's next two games.

Exum scored 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting, grabbed five boards and dished out five assists in 29 minutes. Perhaps most telling, he went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.

In 29 games after the All-Star break last season, he took a total of three free throws. What a difference a summer can make.

After going home to Australia for a few months, Exum put on 10 pounds. He blamed mother's cooking.

"Yeah, I was a bit worried, because, you know, it was the offseason. I came back and had put on a bit of weight," Exum told Bleacher Report on Thursday.

"But I was training for about two months and it stayed on. So, it’s definitely helped me in getting in the lane and being able to bump guys instead of getting bumped."

The extra weight hasn't slowed Exum down, either. "I don't think I've lost any of my quickness or speed," he said. "So I'm looking to keep that weight on."

The proof was in Exum's drives to the rim, both in the half court and in transition.

In one pick-and-roll against Boston's Marcus Thornton, Exum was at the free-throw line by the time Thornton cleared the ball screen. He was then faced with multiple defenders in the lane. Last season, he would've backdribbled or kicked it out. Monday, he attacked.

In the second half, Exum turned a defensive rebound into a coast-to-coast and-one, in which he took advantage of a backpedaling big man who had no chance to keep up with him.

Herein lies one of Exum's greatest physical advantages. He's a human outlet pass. At 6'6", he has the size to collect those boards, but he also possesses the speed to blow past transition defenses by himself.

Those one-man fast breaks could be even more difficult to stop in the regular season, when Exum has more reliable scorers trailing him down the floor.

Imagine Rodney Hood and Gordon Hayward running down the sidelines and spacing on the wing for threes, while Rudy Gobert or Derrick Favors fills the lane behind the point.

That's a potentially devastating attack, especially with a more confident and comfortable Exum pushing the pace. 

"Last year was a good start for me," Exum said. "But I think this year, being more comfortable with the guys and having better relationships, I can go in with that role more defined, taking that leadership to help out my teammates.”

Developing those relationships doesn't happen by chance. Utah's front office has made the calculated decision to stay out of free agency:

Joe Ingles	Re-signed to multi-year contract
Raul Neto	Drafted by the Jazz in 2013, signed to multi-year contract
Trey Lyles	Drafted by the Jazz in 2015, signed to rookie-scale contract

Exum sees his team staying out of the free-agency fracas as a vote of confidence in a young group that went 19-10 after the All-Star break in 2014-15.

"I’ve talked to a lot of the guys around the Jazz and they said we have a good core," Exum said. "And now it’s about finding those little pieces around it. So, having a similar team, a similar core to what we had last year is only gonna help us grow. I think towards the end of the year, we realized what we can do as a team. And if we commit to what we’re trying to do. It’s good that the staff realizes it, and we’re starting to realize it too."

Utah became the most dominant defensive team in the league by the end of the season, and the move to put Exum into the starting lineup on January 22 was a big part of that.

	Before January 22	NBA Rank	After January 22	NBA Rank
Points Allowed	99.1	14th	90.6	1st
FG% Allowed	46.4%	26th	42.6%	1st
3P% Allowed	37.3%	26th	34.9%	14th
Defensive Rating	106.8	27th	97.1	1st

His size and athleticism at the point guard position makes him a nightmare for opposing 1s. When he's able to keep those guys out of the paint, the job of protecting the rim becomes much easier for Favors and Gobert.

And as we saw against the Celtics, those physical attributes will also help him on offense. That is, as long as he trusts them.

Continuing to play with that added aggression will help Exum reach his "upside," an NBA cliche Exum acknowledged he's become all too familiar with.

"Everyone says that’s why I got drafted high and that’s why the Jazz have put a lot of faith in me," Exum said when asked about his own potential. "But I’m going at my own pace and, you know, work on my game. Obviously, I want to be at a high level as soon as possible, but I’m going to continue to keep working."

That mindset toward development mirrors the old adage from John Wooden: "Be quick, but don't hurry." Media and fans might be wise to remember the same.

Exum turns 20 next week. He still has plenty of time to develop his offensive game. And if Game 1 of his 2015 summer was any indication, he's already heading in the right direction.

Statistics courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.

Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.