I sometimes wonder if Exum would play better as a SG. I know his shooting % is dismal but his jump shot has improved. I like his passing skills but they seem to be at their best when he receives a pass and quickly finds the open guy cutting to the hoop. I think he'll be awesome in this league but he's not taking advantage of his height by posting up shorter defenders or driving to the hoop.
Is Exum The Worst Player in The NBA Who Gets Minutes?
- Thread starter Saint Cy of JFC
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His only strength so far is his court vision. Who needs a shooting guard who can't shoot or drive? Also, who's going to be the cutter Dante passes to? Not the PG, or the bigs. So he'll be playing an SG just to pass the ball to a cutting Hayward every now and again.
The Blue Elephant
Well-Known Member
He can hit the three. He's 19 and his shooting will improve. And I like his court vision but noticed he rarely has a nice assist at the beginning of a half-court set offense. Watch his assists - most come when the ball is passed to him and he quickly dumps it off. As a PG he doesn't make things happen.
He shoots a low percentage, and his shooting is not respected and would completely ruin floor spacing if he transitions to the SG spot along with Trey Burke. More importantly, your cutters are your wings. Dante doesn't drive, so that removes one of your cutters out of the equation. Since his lack of shooting will ruin spacing inside, it will be difficult for Hayward, our only cutter, to find an open lane. He must develop as a PG, or he's bust.
Another note: There is no guarantee he'll develop into a good shooter any time soon. Most players do improve their shots, but it typically takes a long time. And you don't develop a player around his weaknesses, you develop around his strengths, and you try to work around the weaknesses to minimize their impact. If we want an SG, then we might as well trade him for someone who actually shows promise as a scorer.
I mentioned his low percentages. I still like his jump shot despite the percentage. He doesn't drive which is a frustrating mystery as he has a very, VERY good first step. I think a lot of his problems are mental. Physically, he has all the tools. The idea of having a 6'6 PG is awesome and he can pass but he doesn't look comfortable as a PG. I would love for him to be an effective PG but as mentioned I just wonder if he would play better as a SG. He's definitely going to improve - he got thrown into the NBA and I think there's a huge adjustment for him (as with every rookie but especially him). I'm excited to see his improvements next season as I'm sure he's realized a lot of things and knows he needs to work on some things but the good news is his problems can be fixed. He doesn't have physical limitations (he'll gain muscle) - he can improve.
Jamezz
Well-Known Member
How would you rate what Exum has shown in terms of where he could end? I mean I understand that he's 19 and all that talk, but I'm pretty sure the coaching staff has encouraged him to be more decisive with the ball in terms of creating for himself. The word was spread since the day he was drafted that it would take a long time to see what he's really capable of but we would see 'flashes' that would supposedly wow us fans. I can count those on the fingers of one hand and we're over half way through the season. Honestly all the hype led me to believe that I would see more of these flashes.
So far I give him a 3/10 in those regards.
So far I give him a 3/10 in those regards.
The Blue Elephant
Well-Known Member
What does Dante do that Alec Burks can't? Alec Burks is a borderline NBA player, wouldn't be a starter on most teams. Alec at least rebounds good for his position and gets fouled a lot.
Some things will 100% happen soon. His stamina will improve, and so will his strength. These are two of his biggest shortcomings, and they are guaranteed to improve with time. His shot will probably come along as well, and he will feel more confident about driving once he's at a similar athletic level as his competition.
Two important question marks remain; aggressiveness and handle. Without those, it doesn't matter how much his physical attributes improve. I have little doubt that he'll be at least a decent PG, but for him to be very good, he'll need to improve those two areas significantly, and they are not the easiest to improve.
I think he needs to work on strength and grow into his body. I don't know how physical the leagues are he's played in prior to the NBA. From the videos I saw of him he was definitely more aggressive inside. I know a lot of people talked about his conditioning and it seems better but he has so much work to do. I definitely expected a more aggressive player as well - he has shown some flashes but he's also disappeared or plain played like crap. I think he's been a 3 or a 4 - I like his defense so far - and I think he'll get a whole lot better at that but he tends to play better in the first half (this statement comes from when he came off the bench - I haven't seen a lot of games since he's started - maybe four or so).
Agreed. I think he'll be more aggressive as he becomes more dominant, physically (when he realizes he can penetrate and either pass or score as its become easier for him). Maybe the game is still too fast for him. I'm not so sure about his handle - not saying it will be a problem but I'm more unsure about it.
Jamezz
Well-Known Member
Thanks, all what I said summarized in one word. So far I have seen close to none of this.
You've seen his international games videos. He's aggressive in those. Specially that game where he got to the line 12 times. I don't know why he looks like a scared puppy every time he touches the ball now. It reminds me of trauma victims. Nothing is more pathetic than that breakaway against Portland. He steals the ball, sprints faster than anyone on the court for a second, slows down, looks behind him for a trailer several times, and he then throws an airball layup! WTF! What's the worst that's gonna happen to you? You're not gonna die, and chances are a million to one you won't be seriously injured. If you're afraid of bruises and sore muscles, then you picked the wrong career!
Exum reminds me of Jason Kidd. I think that is the player he should work towards. Kidd had much better ball handling skills that Exum will need to improve greatly but I think he can. I think he has great court vision and is a taller point guard. Jason Kidd put up mediocre stats his first year in the NBA but also had 2 years of college experience. I think next year Exum can put up the kind of numbers Kidd did his first year. Plus Exum's three point shot looks the same as Kidd's to me.
Kidds Rookie year
Season Age Tm Lg Pos G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1994-95 21 DAL NBA PG 79 79 33.8 4.2 10.8 .385 0.9 3.3 .272 3.3 7.6 .433 2.4 3.5 .698 1.9 3.5 5.4 7.7 1.9 0.3 3.2 1.8 11.7
Exum crappy rookie stats
2014-15 19 UTA NBA PG 50 9 20.1 1.7 4.7 .363 0.9 2.9 .313 0.8 1.8 .444 0.4 0.6 .621 0.3 1.2 1.5 2.2 0.5 0.1 1.2 1.7 4.7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91EBV4rXP1k
Kidds Rookie year
Season Age Tm Lg Pos G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1994-95 21 DAL NBA PG 79 79 33.8 4.2 10.8 .385 0.9 3.3 .272 3.3 7.6 .433 2.4 3.5 .698 1.9 3.5 5.4 7.7 1.9 0.3 3.2 1.8 11.7
Exum crappy rookie stats
2014-15 19 UTA NBA PG 50 9 20.1 1.7 4.7 .363 0.9 2.9 .313 0.8 1.8 .444 0.4 0.6 .621 0.3 1.2 1.5 2.2 0.5 0.1 1.2 1.7 4.7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91EBV4rXP1k
NAOS
Well-Known Member
why?
Hotdog
Well-Known Member
Why ask why?
Carbon13
Well-Known Member
Hey, this is a pretty good comp. I think you're right. Dante could be like a Jason Kidd, especially if we were to compare them at 21. Kidd had eventually became the master of the set 3 pt shot. Dante is kind of like that too but I think further along at his age from deep. I think Dante has great passing instincts. It would be awesome if he could average 8 assists in a few years. We should probably check back in longer than a year or two, kidd was an all time great, but the upside is there for Dante.