Dante Exum is a wanted man.
Excuse me, I mean wanted kid.
The electric 6’6″, 18-year-old Australian guard is one of the most highly coveted prospects of this year’s NBA draft. Though he still figures to go behind Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, and perhaps Joel Embiid, he’s listed as a top-five pick in most mocks.
Much like Embiid, Exum’s draft positioning could be seriously impacted by the lottery order. While he’s tall enough for a shooting guard, he’s effectively a point man—Michael Carter-Williams with a more consistent jump shot and better grip on defense, if you will. Teams near the top of the draft that already have a point guard could decide to steer clear of him.
Among those, most interested in landing him, however, are the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford:
Are the Magic the team that is highest on Exum? Seems that way based on mock drafts.
They want a point guard. They experimented with Victor Oladipo there, but preferably they get a young player that is more of a true point. Exum and Marcus Smart are the guys for them. They would’ve taken Smart No. 2 last year, but I think Exum has moved ahead. Lakers also really like Exum. So do the Jazz and Bucks.
Let’s do this in order, shall we?
If the Magic are done experimenting with Victor Oladipo at point guard, then Exum makes plenty of sense. It doesn’t bode well for Jameer Nelson’s future with the team, and I’m left wondering if Oladipo can play off the ball full-time, but he’s definitely an option. They could probably run something of a dual-point guard backcourt like the Phoenix Suns do, asking that Exum and Oladipo split ball-handling responsibilities.
Everyone put on your best I’m-totally-shocked face now that you know the Lakers are interested in Exum.
That sucked. And of course it sucked. This isn’t a secret. Exum wants to play for the Lakers. He idolizes Kobe Bryant. Some people even think he’s trying to force his way to Los Angeles. And why not? The Lakers could certainly use a point guard. Kendall Marshall was stellar this past season, but is he the floor general of their future? Beats me.
Drafting Exum would certainly make things interesting. He’s a more complete player in that he balances shooting and scoring and passing a bit better. Marshall is like Rajon Rondo (with a much, much more efficient jumper)—he passes, then passes, then passes some more.
The Jazz’ interest has sort of thrown me for a whirl. I was impressed by Trey Burke. It’s also known Exum prefers to go somewhere he can play point. Utah could try working out some sort of three-man backcourt coterie consisting of Burke, Exum and Alec Burks, but if it decides to re-sign Gordon Hayward, the team suddenly has a crap ton of players who can run the offense. No telling if that’s good or bad at this point.
Milwaukee is in a similar boat. I personally don’t want Exum going to here, because I feel the Larry Drew-chiefed Bucks will ruin him. Beyond that, the Bucks have two promising point men in Brandon Knight and Nate Wolters. Seems to me they would prefer to use Exum at shooting guard, where they already have O.J. Mayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the near-7-foot 2-guard who could technically play center if he wanted to.
Another team to keep an eye on would be the Boston Celtics. If they’re not convinced Rondo is their guy moving forward, or they think they can play both of them together and are done with the Avery Bradley experiment, Boston becomes a legitimate landing spot.
Guess we’ll have to wait and see. Once the lottery order is determined, the picture becomes a whole lot clearer. Truth is, though, we likely won’t have a solid idea of where Exum is going until draft night, since this class is so deep and the No. 1 pick remains up in air (I still say Wiggins).
Strap in, ladies and gents. The Exum sweepstakes could wind up getting really, really, really interesting.
span style=”color: #888888;”>Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
