Bask in Dante Exum’s glow up from NBA exile to Dallas Mavericks starter

Jason Kidd said Exum has earned a starting spot, even when the Mavs are back to full strength.

The recent Dante Exum phenomenon appears to be here to stay, and we love it.

After making his first seven shots, scoring 20 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the Dallas Mavericks’ 144-119 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday at the American Airlines Centre, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said he’s earned a spot in the starting lineup going forward.

“It’s ironic, you know. He finished the game [on the floor], and when we got him, that’s kind of the role [Exum fit] — third point guard,” Kidd said after the game. “But he’s established himself as a starter, and we’ll most likely keep him as a starter.” If we’re all right tomorrow, he’ll start with Kai and Luka.”
Because the Mavericks do not play on Sunday, we wonder if Kidd’s use of the word “tomorrow” was intended theoretically, or if he simply misspoke and meant “the day after tomorrow,” referring to the Mavs’ next game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday. If this is the case, Kidd may have just given Mavs fans an unexpected but welcome injury update on Kyrie Irving as an early Christmas present.

We’ll see, and I’ll leave it at that.

Exum has established himself as a playmaker in his first season back in the NBA after spending two years in Europe. He was drafted fifth overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz, but his minutes declined in each of his five years with the Jazz, and he didn’t make much of an impact in two years with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was widely regarded as the top prospect from outside the United States in 2014, but he needed to improve his outside shot. His first seven years in the NBA were also marred by injuries.
Now, more than a third into the 2023-24 season, he’s making Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and VP of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey look like geniuses for taking a chance on him as one of the team’s final offseason roster additions. Lindsey was a member of the Jazz front office when Exum was drafted in 2014.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m starting or coming off the bench,” Exum said after the game on Saturday. “I think it’s always going into the game with the same mindset for me.” Obviously, starting and being rewarded is nice, but I want to go in, win every game, and play as hard as I can. As long as I’m on the court and capable of doing so.”
Exum had led all NBA guards in field goal percentage since December 8th, at 67.1 percent. True to form, he made his first seven shots against the Spurs on Saturday and finished the night 8-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range. Exum is shooting an eye-popping 63% on 3-point attempts since gaining more playing time earlier this month.

Exum would be a welcome third playmaker in the starting lineup alongside Doni and Irving if and when the Mavs roster returns to full health.

“When you have three ball handlers, I think we’ve figured that philosophy out,” Kidd went on to say. “Having three playmakers in there helps Kai and Luka’s game and puts a lot of pressure on the [opposing] defence.” So having Exum there is beneficial.”

Exum’s game is all about putting pressure on the opposing defence. He’s one of the few players on this team who can force a fast pace without losing control. That pressure was on full display in the second quarter on the play below, when Derrick Jones Jr. grabbed a defensive rebound and found Exum for a short, quick outlet. With his eyes immediately up the court, Exum found Tim Hardaway Jr. streaking up the sideline for a vicious slam in transition to cap a five-second possession.

“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 in an interview. “I think that gives us [an] opportunity because we don’t just have guys who can dribble the ball up, but guys who are primary ball-handlers who know how to start an offence, create an offence, and get in the paint and create for others.” That, I believe, will be extremely beneficial to our team. I know I need to run in transition a little more when Luka is out there.”

It’s unclear who Exum will replace in the starting lineup, but you’d have to think it’ll be either Jones or Grant Williams.

Exum is a guy who wants to get to the rim, do the dirty work, and has shown the ability to turn a weakness in his game into a strength. You love seeing guys like this succeed, and it appears that Mavs fans will get a front-row seat to Exum’s blue-and-green glow up for the rest of the season.

In case you were wondering, Exum’s deal with the Mavericks this offseason was a mid-level exception — two years for just over $6.1 million. At twice the current price, it appears to be a steal.

in other news, GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Spurs vs. Mavericks: How to Watch, Injury Reports, Lineups, and More