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Will Dante Exum Make the Leap In Year 3?

Do you think Dante will make a leap in year 3

  • Yes, to legit Starting Point Guard

    Votes: 15 34.9%

  • Yes, but only as a good back up PG

    Votes: 19 44.2%

  • No, I think Exum needs another year or 2 to develop

    Votes: 6 14.0%

  • No, I think Exum is destined to be a bust

    Votes: 3 7.0%
  • Total voters
    43
Tom Pitt said:
Just FYI, I'm saying year 3 as in not counting his torn ACL year. If you want you can think in terms of year 4 though. but I think it's much ado about nothing.

Last year, when someone asked me a question about Exum, the first thing I'd often say would be something along these lines: "Dante... Dante, hmmm. that kid has the tools but is there anything he's actually good at offensively?"

I don't think anyone in their right mind would disagree with me. I mean, It doesn't take a genius to figure out the limitations. Just a quarter of causal spectating might suffice. Maybe even less time than that. But obviously he contains intrigue. Every time he went hard to the basket last season, I held my breath with anticipation. But a lot of those forays to the rim ended with turnovers, missed layups, and head scratching frustration. Often times I thought I saw rust sprinkle down from his palms. His face would sag. I didn't think he believed and I didn't either. But then I'd circle back around "Gotta be the ACL", I'd tell myself. But Dante was never good offensively anyway, and maybe it wasn't fair to expect him to be.

The majority of guys who come into the league as unskilled offensive players don't ever really figure it out. I could probably name around 50 gifted athletes with star-stutted potential whose careers withered away as time and the promise of their potential were replaced with game film and a formidable sample size. Their ghosts wander the necropolis of NBA busts. We pay them homage not as basketball players (or even as people), but as an unfulfilled vision of promise anchored to a realm composed strictly of vagabonds. As I write this, the immortal words of Coach Riley to Gordon Bombay in Mighty Ducks unfurl in my head "You're not even a has been; You're a never was."

So as each game passed, I started to prepare myself for the possibility Dante's career as well as our belief in his future was set to start fading. That it might be just a matter of time. It isn't always easy to stave off recency bias, especially when you consider the nature of fandom is to lose perspective and indulge in irrationality. Even as I heard the numbers geeks spout of stats illustrating Dante was improving, the eye test never seemed to reflect as much for me. yet even so, by Spring his true shooting % and efficiency had climbed to above average and with that followed in my head this inkling to believe.

It wasn't the playoffs that got me thinking Dante could be a star, (though game 4 vs the Warriors yielded promise enough). I use to always say I'm not sure Ive ever seen Dante shoot off the dribble (let along make a shot off the dribble), or dribble all the way to the basket with his left hand. Summer league gave us a relatively nice sample size of both. It's a cheap metaphor, but history tells us the event is its self fools gold, MOST OF THE TIME. But after Haywood's departure, latching onto the quixotic was its self a temptation hard pressed to out right deny.

That said, I suppose it's easier to drink the Mitchell Koolaid since he hasn't had many opportunities to disappoint, but Exum's performance in summer league felt like more a renaissance than it did a cheap thrill. Because, the truth is I saw Exum do things I had never seen him do-- for the first time, I swear I saw the intrigue of not just gifted athleticism, but gifted athleticism with a dose of budding skill sprinkled in, bubbling at the brim, and rolling down the sides.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, If I were a betting man, I'd stand to wager Dante makes the kind of leap that will get us excited about his future again.

What do you think?
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Nicely articulated. You a writer?
 
The faster the pace the more Exum will excel.Turning on the jets allows him to play faster on defense and offense.Exum should be allowed to get a rebound and go.Hopefully Burks and Mitchell are running with Exum.No way I see slow down basketball if these 3 play together.
Exum with his defense (100% healthy) and playing PG will definitely have impact on games AS LONG AS SNYDER doesn't put a leash on Exum's play.

But however this season plays out I think Exum won't sign with the Jazz.It's easy to see Exum wanting to play with another team that embraces uptempo basketball and wants him playing full speed than with Jazz at half speed .
 
tleikheen said:
The faster the pace the more Exum will excel.Turning on the jets allows him to play faster on defense and offense.Exum should be allowed to get a rebound and go.Hopefully Burks and Mitchell are running with Exum.No way I see slow down basketball if these 3 play together.
Exum with his defense (100% healthy) and playing PG will definitely have impact on games AS LONG AS SNYDER doesn't put a leash on Exum's play.

But however this season plays out I think Exum won't sign with the Jazz.It's easy to see Exum wanting to play with another team that embraces uptempo basketball and wants him playing full speed than with Jazz at half speed .
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dude it doesn't matter what he wants, he's a restricted free agent. And his speed advantage is his first step, his burst of acceleration, that's just as valuable if not more in the half court.
 
dude it doesn't matter what he wants, he's a restricted free agent.
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BS.... Exum can sign with any damn team that wants to pay him top dollar next year,which might become the case.It's up to Utah to decide if they will match.The Jazz are about the ONLY team in the NBA that wants to slow the basketball down .29 other teams want to get the ball up and down the court and would view Exum's speed on the FULLCOURT as a big plus moreso than the Jazz in their halfcourt offense.
 
tleikheen said:
BS.... Exum can sign with any damn team that wants to pay him top dollar next year,which might become the case.It's up to Utah to decide if they will match.The Jazz are about the ONLY team in the NBA that wants to slow the basketball down .29 other teams want to get the ball up and down the court and would view Exum's speed on the FULLCOURT as a big plus moreso than the Jazz in their halfcourt offense.
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you do realize pace has no specific correlation to winning ??

I can't see any team throwing top dollar at him unless he literally explodes, in which case the Jazz would happily match. He was interviewed here when he was visiting family and he said he was very happy where he was
 
I've always been of the mentality that Dante wouldn't start showing consistency, and why he was the #5 pick until his third year of playing in the NBA. His unfortunate ACL for me personally meant that that pushed the prediction to his actual fourth year in the league, which is this upcoming season.

The bottom line is, if he averages less than 10ppg again this season, it is an absolute fail offensively in my eyes. The excuses need to stop at some point, and with me personally, they stop when the season starts.
 
Dali said:
I've always been of the mentality that Dante wouldn't start showing consistency, and why he was the #5 pick until his third year of playing in the NBA. His unfortunate ACL for me personally meant that that pushed the prediction to his actual fourth year in the league, which is this upcoming season.

The bottom line is, if he averages less than 10ppg again this season, it is an absolute fail offensively in my eyes. The excuses need to stop at some point, and with me personally, they stop when the season starts.
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tearing an ACL and the long process back is hardly an "excuse"
 
DownUnder said:
tearing an ACL and the long process back is hardly an "excuse"
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I accept what you're saying, and if my post implied that I was merely tossing the ACL aside as it was nothing, then that's probably my bad.


I'm more pointing to the side of his deficiencies, and now that he is healthy, he must not be the same player as he was last year. By all accounts, he has improved tremendously judging by DL's glowing praise and what we saw in SL, even though yes, it is SL.
 
you do realize pace has no specific correlation to winning ??

I can't see any team throwing top dollar at him unless he literally explodes,
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What I do realize is that no other team is trying to slow down the pace but Utah and their best player bolted to another team. And Otto Porter averaged 13 pts last year and was a restricted free agent. He was offered a 4 year/106 million contract front loaded and Washington had to match that.Exum doesn't have to "explode" this year he just turned 22 yrs old ,he just needs to show he's ready to show he can be a very good player in the League if he wasn't playing for the Jazz.Talent will get paid.
 
tleikheen said:
What I do realize is that no other team is trying to slow down the pace but Utah and their best player bolted to another team. And Otto Porter averaged 13 pts last year and was a restricted free agent. He was offered a 4 year/106 million contract front loaded and Washington had to match that.Exum doesn't have to "explode" this year he just turned 22 yrs old ,he just needs to show he's ready to show he can be a very good player in the League if he wasn't playing for the Jazz.Talent will get paid.
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Uh, to get a max offer like that yes he would have to explode, and burst his 3 pt % from 29 to Porters 40% they are night and day apart. Don't stress dude, I think this year he'll be given plenty of opportunity to play and I think he's ready to take a good jump. Just wait and see, and I'm sure we're going to run a little more but a stifling grind it out defense is still going to be our calling card
 
tleikheen said:
What I do realize is that no other team is trying to slow down the pace but Utah and their best player bolted to another team. And Otto Porter averaged 13 pts last year and was a restricted free agent. He was offered a 4 year/106 million contract front loaded and Washington had to match that.Exum doesn't have to "explode" this year he just turned 22 yrs old ,he just needs to show he's ready to show he can be a very good player in the League if he wasn't playing for the Jazz.Talent will get paid.
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Gobert didn't go anywhere...
 
I voted yes but only as a back up PG. I also do not expect him to stop developing and improving after this year either. So he will become a great back up this season IMO and could very well become even more in the future.
 
I think Exum is a bust.

If he was skilled, he would be awesome given his physical assets. Alas, he is not skilled, and has not shown a significant amount of progress over the last 4 years (ACL tear aside, how come he still has such a bad handle!?).

Not going to be a popular opinion, but I think his problems are mental and I doubt he ever gets to be an average PG in the league. If he sticks in the NBA it will be as a backup SG.

Someone please make me a believer. Who would be a comparable player (long, fast, timid, low skill level) that sucked after 4 years and eventually became a player that helps you win?
 
Exum is better as a 2 guard than a point guard. He is a 2 guard who can pass and defend. But he is not in the upper tier of normal point guards. It takes a lightning quick skill set or ability to think without thinking which he doesn't have.
 
checkbookdoc said:
I think Exum is a bust.

If he was skilled, he would be awesome given his physical assets. Alas, he is not skilled, and has not shown a significant amount of progress over the last 4 years (ACL tear aside, how come he still has such a bad handle!?).

Not going to be a popular opinion, but I think his problems are mental and I doubt he ever gets to be an average PG in the league. If he sticks in the NBA it will be as a backup SG.

Someone please make me a believer. Who would be a comparable player (long, fast, timid, low skill level) that sucked after 4 years and eventually became a player that helps you win?
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Last season was Exum's 3rd. not 4th. I still consider him a project, not much of an outstanding project, but a project nonetheless.
 
checkbookdoc said:
I think Exum is a bust.

If he was skilled, he would be awesome given his physical assets. Alas, he is not skilled, and has not shown a significant amount of progress over the last 4 years (ACL tear aside, how come he still has such a bad handle!?).

Not going to be a popular opinion, but I think his problems are mental and I doubt he ever gets to be an average PG in the league. If he sticks in the NBA it will be as a backup SG.

Someone please make me a believer. Who would be a comparable player (long, fast, timid, low skill level) that sucked after 4 years and eventually became a player that helps you win?
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I don't think you are very up to date with your assessments
 
DownUnder said:
I don't think you are very up to date with your assessments
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which part? Is he no longer physically gifted or do you think he has progressed a lot? In my opinion Dante has gone from way below average guard skills, to not as far below average. This is not super encouraging. For heaven's sake, Shelvin Mack was an obviously better player than Dante last year!

So who is a good comp for Dante that makes you think he will be even a below average starter some day?
 
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