Dante Exum
Birthdate: July 13, 1995 (East Melbourne, Victoria)
School: Lake Ginnindera (Canberra, Australia) Class: 2014 (OFFICIAL) Height: 6'6" Weight: 188 NBA Position: PG/SG |
Scouting Report 1.0 — 05.24.2014 (Joseph Fafinski)
Dante Exum is the most curious case in next month’s NBA Draft, bar none. Coming from the Australia Institute of Sport, the 18-year-old Exum hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow countryman Andrew Bogut in becoming a highly regarded prospect of their respective draft classes. What makes Exum such a noteworthy project is a combination of his speed, size (he measured 6’6 at the combine with shoes on), passing, and upside. His quickness, both with and without the ball, is awe-inspiring for a guy who plays the point guard position at such a rare height. All you need to do is survey his transition play and it’s fairly easy to assert he’s the quickest guy on the hardwood the majority of the time he is in uniform.
|
One area Exum isn’t exactly polished in is his shot and overall consistency surrounding it. Occasionally when driving down the court, he’ll aimlessly huck up a jumper when the timing isn’t exactly right. These traits reminds one of Michael Carter-Williams, a guy who didn’t shoot all that well as a rookie for the Sixers but silenced critics by running away with the Rookie of the Year award. Although in part due to a lack of scorers in Philly, the Syracuse product looks primed and poised to carry the crew in the coming years. Exum’s upside could extend beyond that of the aforementioned Carter-Williams. In the “Big Four” of prospects coming out this year, it’s hard to rank Exum any better than the quaternary option.
|
He doesn’t exactly have that transcendent trait the other three possess. However, it’s easy to see why Dante Exum is so sought after—he drives extraordinarily well to the basket, he has potential through the roof on both sides of the court, and he distributes as well as any other in this class. Count myself among those on the Dante Exum bandwagon.
|