Enjoy Dante Exum’s remarkable transformation from NBA exile to Dallas Mavericks starter.

We love to observe the latest Dante Exum phenomena, which seems to be here to stay.

Following a 144-119 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday at the American Airlines Center, when he made all seven of his field goals, scored 20 points, and pulled down seven rebounds, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said that he has earned a spot in the starting lineup going forward.

It is, you know, ironic. In his postgame interview, Kidd stated, “He finished the game [on the floor], and when we got him, that’s kind of the role [Exum fit] — third point guard.” However, he has established himself as a starter, and that is where we’ll likely retain him. He will begin with Kai and Luka tomorrow if we are well.

We’re curious as to whether Kidd meant “tomorrow” in the theoretical sense or if he simply misspoke and meant “the day after tomorrow,” alluding to the Mavs’ upcoming game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday. The Mavs don’t play on Sunday. If the latter is true, Kidd might have just given Mavs supporters an early Christmas present in the form of a much-needed but inadvertent injury update on Kyrie Irving.

Well, I’m getting off topic.

After spending two years playing in Europe, Exum has returned to the NBA and established himself as a playmaker in his rookie season. The Utah Jazz selected him fifth overall in the 2014 NBA draft; nevertheless, he had a reduction in minutes throughout each of his five years with the Jazz, and he made little impact during his two years with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Though he needed to improve his outside shooting, he was regarded by many as the best prospect from outside the US in 2014. Injury-plagued, his first seven years in the NBA were equally problematic.

He’s making Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey seem like geniuses for taking a risk on him as one of the team’s last off-season roster acquisitions now that the 2023–24 season is more than three quarters of the way through. In 2014, Lindsey was a member of the Jazz front office team that selected Exum in the first round.

“It makes no difference if I start or come off the bench,” Exum declared following the game on Saturday. “I believe that for me, it’s constantly approaching the game with the same perspective. Of course, it’s good to get off to a good start and get recognized for it, but my goal is to go in, dominate every game, and give it my all. As long as I’m able to accomplish that when I’m on the court.

NEWEST VIDEO FROM SB COUNTRY
A severe injury caused Kevin Love and Kelly Olynyk to feud.

The feud between Kevin Love and Kelly Olynyk is not Kevin Love’s fault. The man was forced to remove his shoulder from its socket during a tie-up with Olynyk. Love said something that you cannot hold responsible for at that time. Had Love claimed to be superior to Michael Jordan, we would have responded with something like, “I know, Sweetie, just try to calm down.” But he didn’t say that. Rather, Love claimed that Olynyk intentionally injured him, most likely less than an hour after the accident. And no one held Love responsible for being so direct, hostile, or accusing. Actually, he was believed by all. And never questioned him at all. To Olynyk’s dismay considerable. Savor your beef. Clara Morris wrote and produced the piece. Jiazhen Zhang directed and edited the film.

VIEW MORE VIEW LESS

With a field goal percentage of 67.1 percent entering Saturday’s contest, Exum topped all NBA guards in that category since December 8. In typical fashion, he made his first seven field goals on Saturday against the Spurs and ended the game 8 of 10 overall, including 2 of 2 from three-point range. Since he began receiving increased playing time this month, Exum is also shooting an astounding 63% on three-pointers.

With Irving and Dončić in the starting lineup, Exum would be a nice third playmaker if and when the Mavs squad returns to full health.

Kidd stated, “I think we’ve figured that philosophy out when you have three ball handlers.” “Having three playmakers in there puts a lot of pressure on the [opposing] defense and makes the game easier for Kai and Luka.” Therefore, having Exum available is beneficial.

Exum’s game is primarily about applying pressure to the other team’s defense. He’s one of the players on this team that can push the pace without getting out of control. In the play below from the second quarter, Derrick Jones Jr. grabbed a defensive rebound and found Exum for a short, rapid outlet. That pressure was clearly visible. Tim Hardaway Jr. finished a play that lasted just five seconds with a devastating slam in transition, which Exum saw coming with his eyes straight up the court.

“I think one of the things we’ve been saying from the start of the season, since training camp, is that we want to play faster,” Exum said. “I think that gives us [an] opportunity, not just having guys that can dribble the ball up, but guys that are primary ball-handlers that know how to start an offense, create an offense and can get in the paint and create for others. I think that’s real beneficial for our team. I know when Luka is out there, I need to run in transition a bit more.” It remains to be seen which member of the regular starting lineup Exum may leapfrog, but you’d have to think it would be either Jones or Grant Williams. Exum is a guy who wants to get to the rim, wants to do the dirty work and has proven his ability to take a weakness in his game and turn it into a strength. You love to see guys like this succeed, and it looks like Mavs fans will have a front-row seat to Exum’s blue-and-green glow up the rest of the season. And if you were wondering, the contract Exum signed with the Mavs this offseason was a mid-level exception — two years for just over $6.1 million. It certainly looks like a bargain at twice the price right now.

GET MORE NEWS HERE