Dante Exum – the 6 foot 6″ point guard from Melbourne – is the next great hope of Australian basketball and is projected to be a lottery pick if he declares for the 2014 NBA Draft.
His combination of speed, basketball IQ, scoring ability and athletic ability has some NBA scouts very excited about his star potential in an increasingly point guard-focussed NBA.
Exum first hit the national spotlight in 2011 when, at age 15, he was surprisingly selected for the Boomers training squad.
In 2012 and 2013 he gained global notoriety with his performances in youth tournaments playing for Australia and a World Select team.
In 2013 Exum played in the Nike Hoops Summit for the World Select Team and this is where he seriously sparked the interest of NBA scouts as he battled it out against other lottery prospects such as Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle and Jabari Parker.
With a highlights package like the one below, it is no wonder that he is drawing a lot of attention with his ability to get to the rim and score.
In the 2013 U19 FIBA World Championships, Exum was a key part of Australia’s success, leading them to the bronze medal game against Lithuania.
Unfortunately Australia was defeated 106-100 but in the loss Exum scored 28 points, dished out five assists and grabbed five rebounds, further pushing his credentials to NBA scouts.
The last proper game Exum played in was the final of the 2013 Australian Schools Championship in early December, where he scored 20 points and dished out 15 assists in an 88-81 win for his school, Lake Ginninderra College.
While 20 and 15 may be a reasonable stat line, he wasn’t exactly putting those numbers up for Kentucky or North Carolina against a Duke or USC but this may end up working in his favour.
Exum has been meeting with agents in the past month with the aim of making a decision of whether to declare for the 2014 NBA Draft or attend a top level American college.
Currently Exum is not playing top level basketball as he has chosen not to play professionally in the NBL or abroad, which could either suggest he wants to avoid injuries before potential pre-draft workouts or not jeopardise his college eligibility.
In Chad Ford’s latest 2014 Mock Draft for ESPN, he has Exum going fourth to the Celtics, which is very exciting for basketball in Australia.
His last sentence in his analysis of this pick is “General Manager Danny Ainge is a fan of Exum, Rondo’s future in Boston is perpetually in doubt and while Bradley has been good, Exum might be an upgrade long-term”.
With Rajon Rondo increasingly looking likely to stay with Celtics, Boston may not be the ideal fit for Exum in terms of potential starting minutes but does that really matter right now?
Looking at all the mock drafts available online it is likely Exum will head to a team with an already established point guard if he falls in the top 10.
The Celtics have Rajon Rondo, Utah have Trey Burke (although could slot Exum in at shooting guard), Cleveland have Kyrie Irving and Denver have Ty Lawson.
Having played very little competitive basketball compared with other rookies that will have 30-40+ games of D1 college basketball under their belts by the time draft workouts begin, it could benefit Exum to start on the bench and work his way into the rigors of NBA basketball.
Exum already has high praise within the Australian basketball community but the NBA draft workouts will be his opportunity to show NBA general managers he belongs with the best.
With the signs pointing to Exum being invited to the NBA Draft Green Room in 2014 – a room for the top 10 prospect that the NBA specially invites – the NBA’s profile could be lifted in Australia to greater heights.
With Exum already appearing on The Project last year, the wheels may already be in motion for another household name for an Australian playing in the NBA.
Combined with a hopefully healthy and long playoff run by Andrew Bogut and his Golden State Warriors, increased minutes in San Antonio to Patty Mills and Exum getting drafted by a top level team in June, basketball in Australia could ride a wave of momentum that positively impacts all aspects of the game (NBL, youth development and international exposure).
I wish Exum all the best in June if he decides to declare for the draft and look forward to watching him in the NBA in the very near future.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
yeah definitely has two guard intangibles at 6'6, still only 18 he could grow another 2 or 3 inches. A great talent.
Dai Nasir
Roar Rookie
Good on him, wish him all the best in the draft. At 6'6 and with his athletic ability he could be a viable option at Shooting Guard.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
What a talent, hope my Celtics draft him, him and Rondo in the backcourt would be epic. Great stuff Dante !
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
It will be interesting to see if he plays in the FIBA World Championships this year. We would have a great side with Mills, Bogut, Delly, Exum, Inglis etc if they all made themselves available. One team that might take him and would be a good fit is Orlando. Apparently he met Oladipo on a college tour last year and would love to play with him.
Swampy
Guest
Great news that he will go for the draft. You would hope he goes somewhere that he will develop good habits, not bad. Being further down the lottery list will not be a bad thing. I'd imagine a lot of action prior to or during the draft in trading to different spots by a lot of teams. Chicago would be a team in desparate need of back up point guard who could start in a pinch and develop as insurance to the point position. Rose might never be as good again once he returns to court (if that even happens). Whatever the case, the Aussie team is going to be strong at the next worlds and olympics. Maybe shaping as our best ever. I've watched Cameron Bairstow a couple of times in college and he looks like a handy international asset - big wide body that enjoys a bit of banging in the paint. I even managed to watch more than 3 minutes of the NBL the other day! Things are looking up.
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
Unless the Bucks become the Seattle Supersonics..... I agree, getting buried in a small market/bad system would hurt Exum a lot. Fingers crossed Pelinka gets him going to a good team.
astro
Guest
There are a bunch of interesting teams which will draft high and be a great fit for Exum. Conversely, there are a couple of stinkers... For his sake, I really hope he avoids both the Kings and the Bucks. Anyone else is fine whether there is an established PG there or not.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Milwaukee dont have a point guard, and have a 75% chance of not picking at #1, even if they continue to stink the joint out. Assuming Embiid goes at #1, then Exum is a chance for the Bucks.
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
News came through last night that he has signed with Rob Polinka and will be in the 2014 Draft. Good news
Swampy
Guest
-- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Swampy
Guest
I'm not sure playing college is a great idea. Sure you get drilled into a team environment and paraded in front of scouts but the converse is that the stars in college hoops are the coaches and they generally don't allow any future pros to showcase their talents for an NBA career. Prime example is Andrew Wiggins - hyped as a can't miss number 1 (riggin for wiggins) but at times barely a contributor at Kansas. The Kansas system dictates ball movement and there is no single focal point or isolation plays for guys like Wiggins. As a result he appears to drift in and out of games as he is not a banger on the boards or a ball dominating point guard. His stock has dipped. At 6'6" you'd suspect Exum may get played out of position at shooting guard in college, where there is likely to be a point guard who has been in the system for more than a season, just to give him minutes as a freshman. He's on the board as a lottery pick - he'd be mad not to grasp that opportunity this year. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.