How did Exum look last night?

[str8line]

Thanks for the responses.

I just watched the highlights and wasn’t impressed. He does have a super quick first step or two but still looks awkward af and does this weird ballet like layup thing that would make Freddie Mercury (who I love mind you) proud.

He’s a tough one to figure out. I can’t see anyone giving him more than about 7-8M given the fact that so few teams will even have money, he’s oft-injured, he’s played so little time in his four seasons, and he hasn’t shown that much in the floor time he has seen.

The flipside is, he’s an asset. An intriguing one. If someone does offer him 3/27, it would maybe prove wise to match, if for no other reason, than to have a solid bench player and a tradable asset as part of a bigger possible deal should one arise next season or during the summer of 2019.

Of course, the flipside to that and/or even re-signing Favors, is that it ties up cap space and could prohibit us from signing a big ticket name in free agency in 2019.

That’s why, for me, it makes a lot of sense to sign a frontloaded 1/1 of around 10M in year one and 8M in year two. This wouldn’t prohibit us from signing someone in 2019 and yet at the same time, if he looks really good next year and worth the 8M in year two of the deal, we could retain him. Quite frankly, he may not want to sign a 3-4 year deal because he may not want to be locked in at just 10M or so per year for that long, knowing that he can get a bigger deal in 2019 or 2020. Likewise, we probably don’t want to be locked in for so long on a guy who has this many question marks at the price tag I’ve thrown out there.

That’s sort of where I’m at with him right now.

He's not "oft-injured". He blew an ACL. Then he got landed on by an idiot. That's it. And Quin hasn't exactly been good for his confidence.

He's the real deal. 4 AST in 7 minutes. That's real. That's doable for him on any given night. He also takes pressure off of everyone because he demands attention. Defense? Check. Low turnovers? Check. His floor is that he's a great facilitator. His ceiling is tougher to gauge but it's higher than it was a year ago because he is bigger, stronger and more aggressive.

 

[str8line]

It shocks me people don't see the big potential in Exum. But it doesn't really matter. He will either live up to it and it will be obvious or he won't and his doubters will say see.

People bag on him mostly because he moves different. But he is elite at getting to the rim which is a rare and valuable skill. He has good court vision, his shot is okay despite what people say. He really just needs playing time to get comfortable. He plays out of control at times and beats himself up over mistakes or misses but striving to be great is a good attribute.

PT to get comfortable and to get in shape. He's not even close to prime physical conditioning.

 

[kabenac]

I really, really want to sign Exum. I hope we can get him on a good deal. The guy has the tools needed to both score inside, play good defense and get his teammates involved. If he can start hitting the three it will be icing on the cake. I don't think he's going to command crazy money. Money is tight for most teams and Exum is largely unproven. But physically he's there. And I think he's getting over a lot of the timid mental issues from a year or two ago. And I can't see him wanting to play in a large market where the media would be critical of him.

 

[Ron Mexico]

How many teams need 24 year old PGs who can't dribble or shoot, but have "potential".

None.

A lot of teams need a PG that can get to the rim at ease and create for those around him.

Not to mention high level defense. There are very few guys that can play defense on the wing like him and switch. He even does a decent job of contesting shots in the paint.

His dribbling is good for a guy his size. People expect him to have a dribble as tight as someone 6' but that will never happen. He gets where he wants to on the court and like we saw last night he has some decent moves to get past guys and maintains the ball. His dribbling does not lead to turnovers so its fine.

As far as his shot goes I agree he will never be a great pull up shooter likely. I doubt he will have much of a mid game but his set jump shot it solid. Its a little slow but the new shot he has been working on since last season is finally getting consistent release in the right position. It is fluid and will be fine. That is all you need out of him with his other skills. He will shoot a respectable percentage from 3 going forward. His 3 point shot looks very similar to Kidds jump shot late in his career.

 

[Ron Mexico]

PT to get comfortable and to get in shape. He's not even close to prime physical conditioning.

Yeah, that is why he is not getting more minutes. His conditioning is not where it needs to be. They are also easing him back in after missing the whole year. Particularly because the Jazz see him as part of the future and expect good things out of him. We dont really need his contributions as much this year so we dont want to rush him back in and cause another injury.

 

[Coach Ellis]

As long as he ends up somewhere between Danny Green and Tony Parker, Exum will have a spot and a role on this team. Of course, the next contract will determine how long that is. . . but I just don’t see him getting an outrageous deal anywhere this offseason.

 

[MVP]

Glad to hear Exum had a decent game. ( I missed second half due to family situation so saw only few minutes in first half). Lets hope he can finish season strong and develop some confidence going into playoffs.

 

[Keefe]

He's not "oft-injured". He blew an ACL. Then he got landed on by an idiot. That's it. And Quin hasn't exactly been good for his confidence.

He's the real deal. 4 AST in 7 minutes. That's real. That's doable for him on any given night. He also takes pressure off of everyone because he demands attention. Defense? Check. Low turnovers? Check. His floor is that he's a great facilitator. His ceiling is tougher to gauge but it's higher than it was a year ago because he is bigger, stronger and more aggressive.

We can agree to disagree.

 

[str8line]

A lot of teams need a PG that can get to the rim at ease and create for those around him.

His dribbling is good for a guy his size. People expect him to have a dribble as tight as someone 6' but that will never happen. He gets where he wants to on the court and like we saw last night he has some decent moves to get past guys and maintains the ball. His dribbling does not lead to turnovers so its fine.

As far as his shot goes I agree he will never be a great pull up shooter likely. I doubt he will have much of a mid game but his set jump shot it solid. Its a little slow but the new shot he has been working on since last season is finally getting consistent release in the right position. It is fluid and will be fine. That is all you need out of him with his other skills. He will shoot a respectable percentage from 3 going forward. His 3 point shot looks very similar to Kidds jump shot late in his career.

We are in an incredible position when you think about it. Dante comes in when we're already one of the best teams in the league and shows that he COULD become a phenomenal player. And if he does and if we bring on one more weapon we are definitely in it for a title. Zero doubt in my mind. Dante could replace Rubio and then we get a player like Mirotic. DL must be salivating.

 

[str8line]

We can agree to disagree.

Fo sho. But you gonna eat cold crow. ****, I'll even heat it up for you, bro.

 

[Keefe]

Fo sho. But you gonna eat cold crow. ****, I'll even heat it up for you, bro.

Hopefully.

 

[Siro]

A lot of teams need a PG that can get to the rim at ease and create for those around him.

Not to mention high level defense. There are very few guys that can play defense on the wing like him and switch. He even does a decent job of contesting shots in the paint.

His dribbling is good for a guy his size. People expect him to have a dribble as tight as someone 6' but that will never happen. He gets where he wants to on the court and like we saw last night he has some decent moves to get past guys and maintains the ball. His dribbling does not lead to turnovers so its fine.

As far as his shot goes I agree he will never be a great pull up shooter likely. I doubt he will have much of a mid game but his set jump shot it solid. Its a little slow but the new shot he has been working on since last season is finally getting consistent release in the right position. It is fluid and will be fine. That is all you need out of him with his other skills. He will shoot a respectable percentage from 3 going forward. His 3 point shot looks very similar to Kidds jump shot late in his career.

I don't agree with any of that. He does not finish at the rim with ease. He looks out of control, always jacks up a layup off the wrong foot, and he doesn't make very good decisions on his drives. He's also got the worst handles I've seen on an NBA PG. Won't bother with the "he's not a bad shooter, he's like Jason Kidd" cliche. None of what you said agrees with my observations. It's like you're describing a different player that I haven't seen.

 

[Siro]

I don't agree with any of that. He does not finish at the rim with ease. He looks out of control, always jacks up a layup off the wrong foot, and he doesn't make very good decisions on his drives. He's also got the worst handles I've seen on an NBA PG. Won't bother with the "he's not a bad shooter, he's like Jason Kidd" cliche. None of what you said agrees with my observations. It's like you're describing a different player that I haven't seen.

Oh, and he's not a specially good passer either. His passes are weak (not enough force), and typically obvious.

And he's not that young anymore. He'd have to make the most dramatic turn around in NBA history to be an even average starter.

 

[Jack Strop]

I don't see it. He looks really awkward to me, and defenses don't pay him much attention. You can't build a career on just a decent first step, specially when you can barely handle the ball.

It's been 4 years, and we still **** our pants when he has a game where he doesn't suck.

Oh well, why rain on anyone's parade. You guys have your fun.

Good gawd. If this were truly the case of Exum having played 70-80 games each year for 4 years and looking like he has at this point, I'd agree. But we're talking about a player who looked promising as a rookie, then had a year after an ACL and now is barely back after missing the entire year to date. I think he's right on track.

Will he ever be another Donovan? No. But how many players will ever be superstars? Mitchell is a unique talent. Exum can still be an effective starter, like he was as a rookie, or a good backup combo guard.

What he does the next 9 games is irrelevant. He's back on the court, shaking off the rust. Mission accomplished.

 

[Siro]

Good gawd. If this were truly the case of Exum having played 70-80 games each year for 4 years and looking like he has at this point, I'd agree. But we're talking about a player who looked promising as a rookie, then had a year after an ACL and now is barely back after missing the entire year to date. I think he's right on track.

Will he ever be another Donovan? No. But how many players will ever be superstars? Mitchell is a unique talent. Exum can still be an effective starter, like he was as a rookie, or a good backup combo guard.

What he does the next 9 games is irrelevant. He's back on the court, shaking off the rust. Mission accomplished.

Cool story. Embiid missed 2 straight years and looked like an all star within a few games. Simmons missed an entire year. You develop in practice, not thru a minimum of 500 games, or whatever random number you think a player needs to show his quality.

 

[Et tu Brute]

How many teams need 24 year old PGs who can't dribble or shoot, but have "potential".

None.

You're trying too hard

 

[Quin's Murderface]

Cool story. Embiid missed 2 straight years and looked like an all star within a few games. Simmons missed an entire year. You develop in practice, not thru a minimum of 500 games, or whatever random number you think a player needs to show his quality.

You are comparing Exum to 3 of the most highly rated prospects of the last 5 years. Like all 3 of them are on track to be HOF level players lol. You are being ridiculous.

 

[Keefe]

Siro is spot on. Think about it this way. Why would a team want to sign someone so limited like this at 8M a year when they can draft someone 2-4 years younger who may be equally as raw and explosive and do so on a far cheaper contract?

 

[Quin's Murderface]

I don't agree with any of that. He does not finish at the rim with ease. He looks out of control, always jacks up a layup off the wrong foot, and he doesn't make very good decisions on his drives. He's also got the worst handles I've seen on an NBA PG. Won't bother with the "he's not a bad shooter, he's like Jason Kidd" cliche. None of what you said agrees with my observations. It's like you're describing a different player that I haven't seen.

Let's break this down a little bit. You are saying some really ignorant things about basketball in this thread. Shooting off the wrong foot is a standard thing for basketball players in the modern game. This is a skill that is taught to young players. Donovan does this all the time and the Jazz staff coaches this kind of finish. It's even more important if you aren't a great vertical leaper (like Ex and Donovan off one foot) Terrible point. He certainly didn't look out of control last game at all. We are in a thread about how he looked in that game. He has noticeably slowed down in half court situations. His PnR play has been the best I've seen from him this year. He's been steady, changed speeds, and made good decisions almost every time. He drove with both hands comfortably during the last couple games. His ballhandling hasn't been an issue. The last two games he's been an integral part of good Jazz runs where he handles the ball and creates assists and points.

 

[Et tu Brute]

Siro is spot on. Think about it this way. Why would a team want to sign someone so limited like this at 8M a year when they can draft someone 2-4 years younger who may be equally as raw and explosive and do so on a far cheaper contract?

Now you guys sound like you're trolling.

There aren't guys who are his size with his speed. Even Locke said on his podcast today that Exum is the fastest guy on the court. And he waxed lyrical about how you just don't see his speed in the NBA.... (Not a direct quote - but paraphrased without exaggeration).

Good luck with finding Dante Exum in the next draft.