BELGRADE, SERBIA - MAY 02: Dante Exum of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade gestures during the 2022/2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Play Offs Game 3 match between Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Real Madrid at Stark Arena on May 2, 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Nikola Krstic/MB Media/Getty Images)
Former Utah Jazz prospect, Dante Exum, has returned to the NBA with a second chance
Former Utah Jazz prospect Dante Exum has returned to the NBA.
Many Utah Jazz fans remember Dante Exum. Exum, a Melbourne native in Australia, was the Jazz’s first pick in the 2014 draft, going fifth overall. He was seen as a quick, and large point guard, with long arms and an ability to attack the basket. Exum opted against going to college or staying in Australia to play for the NBL for a few years as others, like Luke Travers, end up doing.
Instead, he entered the draft and was selected just days before his 19th birthday. The hype around Exum was real, going ahead of names like Zach Lavine, Julius Randle, and Marcus Smart. With Exum’s size, and athletic ability, everyone in the world thought he could be a dynamic two-way player.
But a poor shot and injuries derailed all of that. He spent five seasons with the Utah Jazz, where he only played 215 games out of a potential 410. That’s Zion Willimson-levels of bad. He would be off-loaded by the Jazz to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Jordan Clarkson.
Exum would play 30 games in Cleveland across two seasons. Following that, Exum would head back overseas to play for FC Barcelona in 2021-2022 where things started to turn around for him. Finally healthy, Exum started to excel over there. He had a shooting split of 53% from the floor, 53% from three-point, and 85% from the free throw line.
For the 2022-2023 season, Exum moved to KK Partizan, where his shooting volume jumped. While he had better numbers with FC Barcelona, he took just 224 attempts in 49 games (or about five shots per game) and only 60 three-pointers. With KK Partizan, he’s taken 536 shots, 201 of which were three-pointers. So his numbers did come down some. Just some.
For the season he’s shot 52% from the floor, 39% from three, and 85% from the free throw line. All on much higher volume. So it’s not surprising at all that the Dallas Mavericks have brought him back to the league on a veteran’s minimum deal. It’s fully guaranteed, meaning that Exum will see some action at some point with the Mavericks.
If all goes well for Exum, he’ll earn a rotation spot for the Mavs and maybe finally be able to erase the “bust” title next to his name.
