Utah Jazz: Dante Exum Impresses in Win Over Charlotte Hornets
After struggling for court-time all season long, Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum got an opportunity against the Charlotte Hornets and took full advantage.
In a huge comeback win that saw the Jazz move into fourth place in the Western Conference, perhaps the biggest takeaway was Dante Exum‘s performance. He had received DNP’s in 14 of the last 19 games leading up to Saturday’s battle but put his stamp on why he should be the full-time backup point guard in the win.
The silver lining to Rodney Hood‘s LCL sprain is that opportunities came for players buried in the rotation to emerge as key role players. That’s exactly what Exum did against the Hornets.
It’s been an incredibly tough few seasons for Exum; he came into the NBA in his rookie year unprepared and with unrealistic expectations after not playing college or high school basketball at a high level. Many saw his rookie season as a disappointment given his lack of aggressiveness and his poor three point shooting. However, most Jazz fans were satisfied knowing they had a potential all-star in years to come.
Sadly, his second season was cut short or rather destroyed before it started when he tore his ACL in an exhibition game during the offseason. He watched all season long as the Jazz struggled mightily to find any production from his position.
As fans awaited his return and hoped for a breakout season in his third year, the Jazz made a trade that moved George Hill to Utah which immediately solved their need for a quality point guard. The downside to this is that it put Exum in a position where he couldn’t develop and get the minutes he needed to improve. Shortly after the season began, the 21-year-old was cut out of the rotation completely and his future looked bleak at best.
A golden opportunity then came for Exum with an unfortunate knee injury to Rodney Hood. Exum used this chance to put forward his best performance of the season and make his bid for more court-time. Exum finished the game with 11 points, three assists, one rebound and a steal in 22 minutes of play.
Not only was he a tenth of a second from a season high 14 points, he showed a completely different side to his game; it’s the first time since his NBA career began that I’ve seen true emotion from him on court. He also attacked the rim with reckless abandon creating several open looks for his teammates.
In what was a great overall performance, the best sign I saw from Exum was when he went to throw one down on the head of Marvin Williams. He got the shot blocked and it turned into a quick three points at the other end, but it was the right play to make and if he plays with the same intensity, he will soon become a much better player.
He now directs his focus to Monday’s game in Atlanta which is a crucial game for Dante. He had one great game, but if he can have back-to-back great games, it makes it much harder for coach Quin Snyder to put him on the bench when Hood makes his return.
It is a terrific sign for the Jazz and Exum showed exactly the kind of player he can be in years to come. If he stays aggressive, plays hard on defense and doesn’t get too greedy hunting for his shot, he has a terrific chance to be the full-time backup point guard when the roster is at full strength.
Statistics courtesy of ESPN
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