Dante Exum
School: Australia Institute of Sport
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 196 pounds
Position: Point Guard
Age: 18
NBA Comparison: Penny Hardaway
Dante Exum is one of the most hyped draftees in the 2014 NBA Draft. The eighteen-year old out of Australia burst onto the scene at last year’s Hoops Summit and then performed well at the Under 19’s. If Shawn Marion was “The Matrix”, Dante Exum is “The Enigma”. With not a lot to go on, one begins to wonder why people have such a young and mysterious player pegged in the top five picks. Let’s take a look at what all the chatter is about, and where he could end up come July.
Strengths:
July 13th, 1995. That makes Exum just shy of his 19th birthday come draft time, and what raises his ceiling higher than other draftees. His youth mixed with his height immediately give him an advantage over other players. That height is what helps his vision on fast breaks and in half-court sets, while also assisting in his elite ability to get to the rim. Exum’s athleticism is on the upper echelon of fellow point guards, allowing him to go coast-to-coast in the blink of an eye. He’s not only good at finishing at the rim, but finding a number of unique ways to score with his ridiculous reach (8’7″) and superior body control. Exum can also use either hand to score, making him all the more unpredictable and dangerous headed towards the basket.
His youth and athleticism are aided by his energy, as Exum is constantly in the scrum for loose balls and steals. His wingspan at just under 6’10” will disrupt many plays on defense and lead to a number of steals and blocks. The Australian simply does not take plays off. Exum also uses screens well, and does not stand around when the ball isn’t in his hands. He is coachable and shows no signs of an inflated ego. When it comes to setting line-ups, a coach has a multitude of options with Dante Exum’s size and athleticism. He can play any position from point guard to small forward.
And finally, an off-court strength is his name: Dante Exum. If you can’t market that, then I don’t know what to tell you.
Weaknesses:
The fact that Exum does not have as much to go on does seem to bring on the skeptics. Only a small number of GMs and scouts have seen him play live, and his level of competition in Australia has come in to question. While his youth may be looked at as a strength, his lack of big game experience could be a factor for some teams. With as much freedom as he played with in Australia, can Exum mesh with his teammates in a system format? His passing game is good, but not great.
While he can finish at the rim, Exum will need to establish a jumper to bring defenses out and open up the lane for his teammates. His three point shot will need to be more consistent, and his selection from beyond the arc will undoubtedly have to improve as he is prone to ill-advised long distance three’s. Exum will have to make more of his trips to the charity stripe (65%) if he wants to be an effective driving point guard. The young floor general lacks explosiveness despite his athleticism.
Verdict:
Dante Exum’s hype is well-deserved. While he’s not a polished player by any means, his game can be improved with the right coaching and environment. He’s one of the rare foreign players to be projected in the top five, and I won’t sway from that position. An enticing option is even as high as going 4th to the Orlando Magic, pairing him up with Victor Oladipo.
Click here to see all of LWOS’ Draft Coverage.
For more on sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @SeanNeutron. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and “liking” our Facebook page.
