Early Takeaways from Dante Exum's Performance with the Utah Jazz
Dante Exum is shedding that "International Man of Mystery" label a lot faster than most expected.
After just a couple weeks of NBA action with the Utah Jazz, the 19-year-old Australian import is proving that he may be more ready than anticipated, while still showing off the sky-high potential that made him this year's No. 5 overall pick in the draft.
The progress he's already made between the summer league and now has been remarkable, and he still has several more months of development in his rookie season.
In his daily podcast, Jazz radio play-by-play man David Locke shared this anecdote about Exum's coachability:
"I was sitting next to John Beilein, the head coach of Michigan this year, he was stunned during training camp of how Dante was able to take instruction and immediately implement it. Well, we're seeing that...
He's a really intelligent player. His mind could be as good an asset as he has.
"
He went on to talk about how Exum's already adjusted to the type of pressure NBA guards apply defensively. He's adapted to the physicality. Against the Los Angeles Clippers in the preseason, Exum had eight turnovers as Chris Paul and Jordan Farmar bodied him up. In Utah's first regular-season meeting with those same Clippers, Exum had just one turnover.
As he continues to implement coaching instructions and adapt to the game, we'll see a ton of growth over the course of the season.
But for right now, we're focusing on what he's already shown.
Speed, Quickness and Length
One of the primary reasons Exum was so hyped up before the draft was his unique combination of size and athleticism. He's a natural point guard, but has the measurements of a 2, standing 6'6" with a 6'9" wingspan.
Former NBA point guard Randy Livingston commented on Exum's gifts, per Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling, "He’s sort of a cross between John Wall, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook," Livingston said. "He has Westbrook and Rose’s athleticism, but he’s bigger than them. He has John Wall’s long arms."
That pure speed and explosiveness has already been on display this season.
First, watch him make one move on Jordan Farmar and then get to the rim in the blink of an eye:
Purple and Blues' Clint Peterson responded to that move in much the same way most Jazz fans did:
Then, check out how the quickness translates on defense:
The Salt Lake Tribune's Tony Jones talked about how Exum makes plays like the one above:
In terms of athleticism, Exum's not only NBA ready, he's probably ahead of the curve.
There are still times when he looks like a gangly teenager, out of his element among grown men who've been playing at this level for years, but those moments are already becoming more rare.
As he adapts to the size and strength of his opponents, he'll better learn how to use his gifts to neutralize his opponents.
Playmaking
Exum is already an unselfish player, to a fault at times. His lack of aggressiveness is what got him in trouble in the summer league. As he sat back and let defenders attack him, he had a hard time controlling the ball against the pressure.
As he's adapting to coach Quin Snyder's motion offense, he's clearly being more aggressive and effective as a playmaker.
Following Utah's blowout win over the Phoenix Suns, Exum talked about becoming more comfortable:
You can see it clearly in Utah's last two games against the Clippers and Suns.
He's shown the ability to split a double-team, keep his dribble and drop a pocket pass on the move:
He's shown pinpoint accuracy on a one-handed, off-the-bounce skip pass:
And finally, he always makes the unselfish choice on the break:
Plays like these are causing people around the country to take note of what Exum can do:
Here again, he's nowhere near a finished product. With time, he'll become more decisive off the dribble and learn when to change pace.
When you combine what he's already shown in terms of vision in these situations and his raw athleticism, it's not difficult to imagine Exum being one of the best pick-and-roll weapons in the league in a few short years.
Weaknesses
In so many ways, Exum appears to be ahead of schedule. However, he's still raw. Everything can definitely be cleaned up.
The three most important things he needs to develop right now are shooting, ball handling and not shying away from contact.
Exum's shot has been slightly better than some expected. He hit three three-pointers against the Suns, but he's still shooting just 28.6 percent from downtown.
On the ones that go down, Exum is typically in a catch-and-shoot situation in which he has plenty of time to get his feet set. When he doesn't have that balance, things go awry.
Focusing on getting his feet under him when he shoots will be important this season. If he doesn't have time to do that, the better decision might be to pass. The whole process will get quicker as he develops.
As for ball-handling, there are still times when it just looks loose. The ball is a little too high and far from Exum's body. He needs to stay low and keep the dribble compact against guards who are looking to swipe it.
And finally, he needs to take a few hits at this level, and get up afterward. The sooner Exum grows accustom to drawing fouls, the more efficient he'll be.
He can get to the rim at will, and that should result in plenty of free throws.
What Does it Mean?
Twitter users have already asked me numerous times about the possibility of the Jazz trading incumbent starting point guard Trey Burke. The simple answer to the question right now is that it's way too soon to even think about it, even though Exum is outperforming Burke so far:
| Trey Burke | 31.8 | .333 | .182 | .769 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 10.0 |
| Dante Exum | 17.6 | .455 | .286 | .375 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 5.4 |
| Trey Burke | 8.9 | .419 | .407 | .241 | 5.1 | 19.3 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 17.9 |
| Dante Exum | 11.1 | .529 | .636 | .364 | 3.5 | 18.3 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 16.4 |
Snyder's system calls for a positionless offense that thrives when multiple playmakers are on the floor at once. The idea that the two can play together isn't crazy.
Eventually, Burke could also come off the bench as part of a three-guard rotation behind Exum and Alec Burks. Ultimately, that may be where he ends up on this team.
As SLC Dunk's Mychal Lowman pointed out, Burke was taken ninth in a historically bad draft. Exum was taken fifth in a star-studded class.
Obviously, Utah wants Exum to reach his full potential. And he has his best shot at doing so if he continues to play point guard. It's there where he'll create the most mismatches and have the best opportunities to excel using his amazing physical ability.
Over the next several months, we'll get a better idea of how those gifts work in conjunction with the things that the rest of the roster provides.
But if these first couple weeks are any indication, we probably don't need to set any expectations. Exum might just make them look silly.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats and salary figures are courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball-Reference.com and RealGM, and are current as of Nov. 5, 2014.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
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