Dante Exum and the case of the missing Free Throws

[Mad Guru]

In the last 598 minutes on the court, Exum has gotten to the foul line only one time. Since the new year, despite averaging over 20 minutes per game Exum has only taken 2 FT's total, back on January 10th.

The source of the issue seems to be that Exum has camped himself on the three point line for better or worse. He is taking 68% of this shots from three since January 1st. Unfortunately, he has been a dreadful three point shooter as well during this time.

Perhaps it is time for Utah to update the game plan for Exum. It seems like someone with the speed and athleticism Exum possesses should be getting to the line more often than once every 25 games.

[babyjax13]

I agree. He is timid and I think it is a combination of being young and not wanting to make mistakes and...the coaching staff not wanting him to get injured. He's such a skinny kid that I would have the same worry. Send him to the D-league, and really focus on strength training.

[MHSL82]

He's going into the paint 1-2 times a game now, where it used to be 0-1 times per game. And he's making some, although not a good percentage. When he makes a three I'm happy for the Jazz. When he makes a shot in the paint, I'm happy for Exum and the Jazz. When he misses in the paint, I'm happy for Exum for taking the shot.

[Paper Face]

Meh. He's taking baby steps. I don't think it matters this year.

He should be hitting the weight room. But if I were him, I'd be terrified of driving into the paint too. Even in the D league.

I think the other thing for rookies is that they are often passive to their elders. When Hayward was a rookie he totally differed to Millsap, for example.

Dante is still too young for this league. I'm not saying all 19 year olds are, but he is. So all he is working on this year is 3 and D. Let him gain some weight, and let him grow some hair. He'll come around to his all around game in the next year or two.

[KqWIN]

I don't know how sending him to the D-League will increase his strength. He's contributing at the NBA level so there's no reason to send him to the D-League. He just locked down a hall of famer last night. Declining, but still a hall of famer. Right now, he's only doing things that he's comfortable with. That's fine, he'll put some work in during the off-season and become more comfortable with other parts of the game.

[dautjazz]

I've been saying it all year, he needs to train and bulk up with Hayward this offseason. Hayward had similar issues when he was young, where he didn't play nearly as aggressive as he should of considering the advantages he had on opposing SG's, and ofcourse with time and bulking up, he's gained tons of confidence.

[BarneyGumble]

I am always happy with Dante's defense but I am more than a little concerned at how timid he is on offense. I would much rather see a 19 year old with his athleticism attack the paint 10 times a game and get swatted 8 of them than what Dante is doing, which is playing scared....but Snyder is a genius because Hayward picks up the offensive slack and Burke off the bench was a genius move too.

[BudTugly]

Enes Kanter was absolutely atrocious his first year, I hated the pick, and yet I was ready to defend that player at that time because when you take a project high you gotta take the lumps.

Whatever Dante does this season has very little to do with what he will be doing in 4 years. I remember Enes was a turnover machine, so was Favors for that matter. Now both of those guys are vastly improved in that regard and others. Please don't worry about this or that particular result in Dante's play this year or even next. I would look for consistency in his shot mechanics and watch his feet a lot on D. Those things can lay a path to what you'll see going forward. These kids are like Bambi on ice when they are this young.

[Luigi]

Exum not driving makes me miss Alec Burks. That guy gets into the paint.

[BarneyGumble]

Enes Kanter was absolutely atrocious his first year, I hated the pick, and yet I was ready to defend that player at that time because when you take a project high you gotta take the lumps.

Whatever Dante does this season has very little to do with what he will be doing in 4 years. I remember Enes was a turnover machine, so was Favors for that matter. Now both of those guys are vastly improved in that regard and others. Please don't worry about this or that particular result in Dante's play this year or even next. I would look for consistency in his shot mechanics and watch his feet a lot on D. Those things can lay a path to what you'll see going forward. These kids are like Bambi on ice when they are this young.

Good Lord there is no end to your Kanter hate. The dude isnt even with the team anymore...let him go!

[StocktonShorts]

Enes Kanter was absolutely atrocious his first year, I hated the pick, and yet I was ready to defend that player at that time because when you take a project high you gotta take the lumps.

Whatever Dante does this season has very little to do with what he will be doing in 4 years. I remember Enes was a turnover machine, so was Favors for that matter. Now both of those guys are vastly improved in that regard and others. Please don't worry about this or that particular result in Dante's play this year or even next. I would look for consistency in his shot mechanics and watch his feet a lot on D. Those things can lay a path to what you'll see going forward. These kids are like Bambi on ice when they are this young.

Good Lord there is no end to your Kanter hate. The dude isnt even with the team anymore...let him go!

I don't see the hate in this post. I think it's very positive on Kanter and a lesson on not judging a young, inexperienced guy based on his first year.

Maybe you should re-read it?

[KqWIN]

I think I've come to the realization that Dante doesn't attack the basket because Quin doesn't want him to. There are many ways to develop young players, what's consistent is that young very rarely help teams win. The Jazz have chosen to give Dante minutes, but they're purposely limiting the impact he has on the game. Offensively, he one of the least impactful players in the league. He's not helping us much, but at the same time, he's not hurting us either.

We all want to see Dante use his speed to get to the rim. That is the player that was advertised during draft prospect and that is how he can be a great player in this league. Instead we got a poor shooting, 3&D player. The reality of the situation is that if Dante was a large portion of the offense he wouldn't be helping the Jazz progress as a team. We would be worse off if Dante was using more possessions because at this point in his career he can't use them efficiently. I understand tanking and why teams do it, but I don't think it applies to every single team that doesn't make the playoffs. I believe that every team has a timeline and there is a time and place for that, but I believe the Jazz are beyond that point.

The progress the Jazz have made throughout the season is huge for me. Quin creates a gameplan each night for the Jazz with the sole purpose to win and I love that. If Dante's role is only to do things that help the team I'm fine with that, even if it means him being so passive. When Dante get's stronger and more accustomed to the NBA Quin will remove the training wheels.

He's 19 and came from the Australian high school basketball system. Even though he is extremely gifted there was no way he make an immediate positive impact. Quin is preventing him from making a negative impact.

[bucephalus]

I think if the Jazz had a better pg rotation I would be okay with them sending Dante down for a little while to be the man on the Stampede, where he could play against NBA caliber athletes and be more aggressive. I think the Spurs did that with some of their guys. But I'm also fine with him sticking around with the rest of the team and contributing what he can right now. If Ty Corbin was the coach, I wouldn't feel that way, however.

[sipclip]

I think I've come to the realization that Dante doesn't attack the basket because Quin doesn't want him to. There are many ways to develop young players, what's consistent is that young very rarely help teams win. The Jazz have chosen to give Dante minutes, but they're purposely limiting the impact he has on the game. Offensively, he one of the least impactful players in the league. He's not helping us much, but at the same time, he's not hurting us either.

We all want to see Dante use his speed to get to the rim. That is the player that was advertised during draft prospect and that is how he can be a great player in this league. Instead we got a poor shooting, 3&D player. The reality of the situation is that if Dante was a large portion of the offense he wouldn't be helping the Jazz progress as a team. We would be worse off if Dante was using more possessions because at this point in his career he can't use them efficiently. I understand tanking and why teams do it, but I don't think it applies to every single team that doesn't make the playoffs. I believe that every team has a timeline and there is a time and place for that, but I believe the Jazz are beyond that point.

The progress the Jazz have made throughout the season is huge for me. Quin creates a gameplan each night for the Jazz with the sole purpose to win and I love that. If Dante's role is only to do things that help the team I'm fine with that, even if it means him being so passive. When Dante get's stronger and more accustomed to the NBA Quin will remove the training wheels.

He's 19 and came from the Australian high school basketball system. Even though he is extremely gifted there was no way he make an immediate positive impact. Quin is preventing him from making a negative impact.

Quin doesn't want that at all. In fact I have heard that Quin yells at Dante more than any player on the team in practice and it is almost entirely about him not attacking the paint. Dante is probably the most frustrating young player that I have ever watched because most young guys tend to rely on their athleticism more so than there skills but with Dante he refuses to use his athleticism.

[KqWIN]

Quin doesn't want that at all. In fact I have heard that Quin yells at Dante more than any player on the team in practice and it is almost entirely about him not attacking the paint. Dante is probably the most frustrating young player that I have ever watched because most young guys tend to rely on their athleticism more so than there skills but with Dante he refuses to use his athleticism.

Quin's been asked about Dante a million times and I've heard him answer the question over and over. Quin gets mad at Dante for having lack of energy and lack of aggression. The second part is probably what you're preferring to, but I think you have interpreted what he means. I've watched/read just about bit of content on Quin Snyder and I've never once heard him mention that he needs Dante to attack the basket.

Going back to my original point, everything about Dante's role is to help the team win. The reason why Dante takes so many 3's is because he's left wide open and it kills the team if he doesn't shoot them. Even if you're not a good shooter, you have to take them. Dante hesitates a lot and that drives Quin crazy. It doesn't help anyone if a guy hesitates to take open shots.

Quin doesn't ask Dante to make plays on offense. That's not his responsibility. If Dante suddenly becomes a large portion of this offense, he'll hold back the rest of the team and their development. He's 19 years old out of Australia, is it really that hard to see why the Jazz might want to protect him? God forbid, we ask Dante to only do the things he's comfortable with.

[SoCalJazzFan]

Is there anyone on this board who thinks that D'Angelo Russell will have the same timidity issues that Dante Exum is having this year? Russell is 19 and was playing HS ball last year. I fully expect him to come into the NBA and have a bit of swagger, and quite frankly, outperform Exum in his first year.

If we are honest with ourselves, we are patient with Dante because we have to. We don't have the luxury of doing so as we have an adequate starting PG and Dante has time to take over that role- we really don't have a choice right now. Trey, while he has played great the past week or two, hasn't instilled a great deal of confidence in being that starter-level PG. Exum is the hoped for future. We are all going to rationalize and make excuses until one of a couple of things happen. One, Dante, due to physical and skill development, grows into the starter role or that switch flips suddenly for Dante and his confidence and athleticism start to shine. Two, someone else overcomes Dante (could be Trey, could be a PG in this year's draft). Three, we realize after a few years that Dante just doesn't have what it takes to be a high level starting PG in the NBA and we are forced to move on to another guy.

Although I have continued optimism that he will turn out to be really good, I wasn't a fan of drafting Exum and some of his intangibles are pretty concerning at this point. If we are having these same discussions at this time next year, it will be time to really become concerned.

[stitches]

I just listened to 3 interviews from this morning practice(I guess the journos made it a point to ask about Exum):


Q: What's the next step for Dante, is it just being more aggressive and confident?
Quin Snyder: I think, that's part of it. There are some skills, too, and some strength and some things that are real areas of improvement. Just his strength and his physicality... I think in the next year or two we are going to look at him and go "Wow! He's really grown physically" and I think the same is true about his ability to get in the paint and create and use his tools in a game situation.
----------
Q: What's the next step that Dante can take on that side of the ball(offensively)?
Gordon Hayward: I think, just being more aggressive. Knowing when to take his shots. [He] seems a little passive and that's pretty normal as a rookie, he's just out there playing to not mess up. He has to stop thinking and start attacking the basket, I mean he's athletic and long, he can really make plays around the rim... for himself and others. When he does that, he'll be really good."
---------
Q: What do you guys need from Dante on the offensive side of the ball?
Trey Burke: Just for him to be aggressive, you know... he's gonna go through some growing pains. It's the same thing everybody goes through. I went through it last season, so... a guy like him, we just need for him to be aggressive when he gets in the paint and use his length to be able to score over defenders, go to the line. I am sure he will become more aggressive.

[bucephalus]

Is there anyone on this board who thinks that D'Angelo Russell will have the same timidity issues that Dante Exum is having this year? Russell is 19 and was playing HS ball last year. I fully expect him to come into the NBA and have a bit of swagger, and quite frankly, outperform Exum in his first year.

If we are honest with ourselves, we are patient with Dante because we have to. We don't have the luxury of doing so as we have an adequate starting PG and Dante has time to take over that role- we really don't have a choice right now. Trey, while he has played great the past week or two, hasn't instilled a great deal of confidence in being that starter-level PG. Exum is the hoped for future. We are all going to rationalize and make excuses until one of a couple of things happen. One, Dante, due to physical and skill development, grows into the starter role or that switch flips suddenly for Dante and his confidence and athleticism start to shine. Two, someone else overcomes Dante (could be Trey, could be a PG in this year's draft). Three, we realize after a few years that Dante just doesn't have what it takes to be a high level starting PG in the NBA and we are forced to move on to another guy.

Although I have continued optimism that he will turn out to be really good, I wasn't a fan of drafting Exum and some of his intangibles are pretty concerning at this point. If we are having these same discussions at this time next year, it will be time to really become concerned.

I think we should all be a little concerned, but Dante is only a rookie and we knew coming into the season that it would be slow going. If Exum was playing with the Twolves or some other crappy team that would just give him the ball a bunch and tell him to do something good, he might be putting up some nice counting stats. On the Jazz, Dante has a usage of about 14%. Andrew Wiggins, with the Wolves has a usage of 22%. I think its kind of clear that Dante can't count on the same volume of touches as someone like Wiggins because his team doesn't need that from him. Right now, Dante should be focused on contributing where he can and he is. He has taken some huge strides defensively and he's more focused on getting his teammates involved than he is creating for himself.

[MHSL82]

Is there anyone on this board who thinks that D'Angelo Russell will have the same timidity issues that Dante Exum is having this year? Russell is 19 and was playing HS ball last year. I fully expect him to come into the NBA and have a bit of swagger, and quite frankly, outperform Exum in his first year.

If we are honest with ourselves, we are patient with Dante because we have to. We don't have the luxury of doing so as we have an adequate starting PG and Dante has time to take over that role- we really don't have a choice right now. Trey, while he has played great the past week or two, hasn't instilled a great deal of confidence in being that starter-level PG. Exum is the hoped for future. We are all going to rationalize and make excuses until one of a couple of things happen. One, Dante, due to physical and skill development, grows into the starter role or that switch flips suddenly for Dante and his confidence and athleticism start to shine. Two, someone else overcomes Dante (could be Trey, could be a PG in this year's draft). Three, we realize after a few years that Dante just doesn't have what it takes to be a high level starting PG in the NBA and we are forced to move on to another guy.

Although I have continued optimism that he will turn out to be really good, I wasn't a fan of drafting Exum and some of his intangibles are pretty concerning at this point. If we are having these same discussions at this time next year, it will be time to really become concerned.

I've sometimes been frustrated with him not trying to drive more in a non-playoff year, but I can't compare Russell and Exum, despite their age and experience levels (high school last year). They are just different people in their aggression and skills. If Russell were available this year, maybe Lindsey picks him instead of Exum? (This might be a no-duh, but I haven't seen Russell play much. College basketball is not my thing, though I like watching my team.) Maybe Exum grows into something better than Russell or Exum's current projection? (Again, maybe it's obvious that he won't do the former. I haven't watched Russell.)

[Paper Face]

I was so concerned and worried about it this morning that I almost couldn't eat.

But in a miraculous turn of events, I somehow found the strength to gobble down my toast and my frosted mini spooners.

I just gotta take it one day at a time.