What's new

Is Exum The Worst Player in The NBA Who Gets Minutes?

Exum reminds me of Jason Kidd. I think that is the player he should work towards. Kidd had much better ball handling skills that Exum will need to improve greatly but I think he can. I think he has great court vision and is a taller point guard. Jason Kidd put up mediocre stats his first year in the NBA but also had 2 years of college experience. I think next year Exum can put up the kind of numbers Kidd did his first year. Plus Exum's three point shot looks the same as Kidd's to me.

Kidds Rookie year


Season Age Tm Lg Pos G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1994-95 21 DAL NBA PG 79 79 33.8 4.2 10.8 .385 0.9 3.3 .272 3.3 7.6 .433 2.4 3.5 .698 1.9 3.5 5.4 7.7 1.9 0.3 3.2 1.8 11.7
Exum crappy rookie stats
2014-15 19 UTA NBA PG 50 9 20.1 1.7 4.7 .363 0.9 2.9 .313 0.8 1.8 .444 0.4 0.6 .621 0.3 1.2 1.5 2.2 0.5 0.1 1.2 1.7 4.7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91EBV4rXP1k


Hey, this is a pretty good comp. I think you're right. Dante could be like a Jason Kidd, especially if we were to compare them at 21. Kidd had eventually became the master of the set 3 pt shot. Dante is kind of like that too but I think further along at his age from deep. I think Dante has great passing instincts. It would be awesome if he could average 8 assists in a few years. We should probably check back in longer than a year or two, kidd was an all time great, but the upside is there for Dante.
 
I think Dante's ceiling is a smarter Russell Westbrook. Also, when Westbrook was Dante's age, he was UCLA's backup PG averaging 3 pts, 1 reb and 1 assist. Dante's doing better than that in the NBA.
 
On the defensive side he is pretty damn good. On the offensive side, I don't think I've ever watched a player more inept than him. I know this has been said ad nauseum, but he doesn't even try and that's what bothers me. Last game the ball would touch his hands and he'd pass it automatically and not even try to make a move. Then you watch Lavine and Wiggins taking over the game when they needed them the most. Basically we are playing 4 against 5 on the offensive side of the ball with him in there.
 
On the defensive side he is pretty damn good. On the offensive side, I don't think I've ever watched a player more inept than him. I know this has been said ad nauseum, but he doesn't even try and that's what bothers me. Last game the ball would touch his hands and he'd pass it automatically and not even try to make a move. Then you watch Lavine and Wiggins taking over the game when they needed them the most. Basically we are playing 4 against 5 on the offensive side of the ball with him in there.

The reasons why this is a complaint are the reasons why he will take us to a title. He will get there. Remember, this is his red shirt year. According to the article Harp posted, he is a better defender than Gobert.
 
There is really no comp for Dante. Westbrook... ahhhh no. Westbrook is an alien athlete. Dante is fast but he really isn't the explosive athlete he is.

Kidd... not really. Kidd had the best hands in the NBA on defense. He was amazing. Also, his vision... even as a rookie is much better than Dante's. He was better at forcing turnovers... Dante is much more of a positional defender (which I think is more effective).

Dante can be as effective as these guys but he is really different. He is his own player... Before Westbrook and Kidd there was no real comp's you could compare them to either.

This is the scary thing with Dante. Are there no good comps because he's such a unique talent or because what he is doesn't work in the NBA. I have hope because his defense will be elite and at least 5 times a game I see opportunities for him to do his hesitation dribble towards the baseline and get all the way to the basket.

It will be an interesting ride.
 
Dante is the poster child for why the NBA shouldn't be drafting kids so young. Sure, there are few examples of players that young that are ready to play in the NBA, but by and large they aren't. The current system leads to far too much speculation and by the time the rookie contract is over, they are still only 22. My worry with Dante is that we won't really know how good he will be at the end of his contract and will not be able to make an educated decision about whether to give him the big money to stay.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MVP

"Why Dante Exum Is the NBA's Defensive Rookie of the Year"

Excellent. Who was the starting sieve, I mean PG, before Dante? LOL. Elite defender, for now just put another shooter around him. In a few years he will be at least acceptable on offense. One great sign for his O is that his 3 point shot is pretty good for a 19 year old rookie. I think it is going to be one of his real strengths going forward, which is a very very good thing.
 
Back
Top