Dante Exum was the No. 5 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but injuries kept chipping away at his high potential. He found himself out of the league in 2020 but has returned to the league with the Mavericks. He’s proving he deserves his spot by making important plays, including his Dennis Rodman-esque dive to save the ball from going out of bounds during the Mavs loss to the Cavaliers.
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The Mavericks lost 110-113 to the Cavs despite Exum’s hard play. The Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley. Exum scored 13 points with four rebounds, six assists, and three steals against his former team.
Dennis Rodman created one of the greatest photos in basketball history when he dove to try and corral a ball headed out of bounds on February 22, 1997. In a heated regular-season clash against the Jazz, Rodman made an outstretched dive which became one of the defining photos of his career and the era.
Exum is not going to be Rodman for the Mavericks. Firstly, the Mavs have already had a doomed spell with Dennis on the team. Secondly, Exum is filling a different role for the Mavericks this season.
He’s averaging 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 11 games this December, finding his way to the Mavs starting lineup after helping the team keep their heads above water without Kyrie Irving.
Dante Exum Is Living Proof Of ‘Never Say Never’
Exum was widely discarded as a bust by the majority of NBA media after a seven-year stint in the league which ended with him joining EuroLeague superpowers Barcelona. After a strong season in Spain, he joined Partizan Belgrade in Serbia. Under head coach Zeljko Obradovic, Exum revived his professional career and averaged 13.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, as Partizan were crowned champions of Serbia.
Along with that, Exum has become an integral piece of the Australian national team. He was a member of the Bronze-winning Australia squad at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and had an impressive showing with the national team at the FIBA World Cup, even though Australia had an overall disappointing result.
The Mavericks took a chance on Exum this season and he’s paying them back. Many mocked Exum’s signing in the summer, as the Mavericks gave him a two-year, $6.15 million contract. He’s already outplaying the value of the deal by becoming a crucial member of the Mavericks rotation. He was the star behind a win over the Lakers earlier in December, scoring 26 points and making seven threes.
His improved shooting, solid defense, and reliable ball-handling have allowed the Mavericks to return to the three-guard offense that took them to the 2022 Western Conference Finals. Exum is expected to retain his spot in the starting lineup when Kyrie Irving returns. He won’t be averaging 15 points but he will be providing solid 3-and-D play while giving the Mavs a ball-handling option on the court to run the offense without Kyrie and Luka Doncic.
He has become one of the best connective pieces in the NBA. He excelled in a similar role in Europe where all teams need to have smart on-ball players, and Exum has shown that in Dallas. If he continues playing this way and Dallas has a strong season, he will solidify a long-term role in the NBA.
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