A talk and a plan: How Dante Exum turned his season around


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SALT LAKE CITY — Maybe all it took was a little simplifying for Dante Exum to turn his season around.

Jazz assistant coach Jeff Watkinson sat down with Exum and explained two things: The first was what Exum could do; the second was what he was going to work on. Simple, right? But that talk helped Exum turn his season around

“Knowing that opened up a whole new level in my game,” Exum said.

Over the past couple weeks, Exum has played some of the most consistent basketball of his career. He had a season-high 20 points on Thursday against Philadelphia, Before that, he had 15 points and four assists in Utah's Christmas win over Portland. And recently had eight points and eight assists in another win over the Blazers.

“He looks comfortable out there,” Derrick Favors said. “It looks like the game kind of has slowed down for him. He’s making correct reads now, not really forcing it. Just playing his game basically. He doesn’t look timid out there. It looks like he’s having fun, not worried about playing time or anything like that.”

In the past five games, Exum averaged 10.6 points, 3.6 assists and is shooting 53 percent from the field. And all of that came after Exum shortly fell out of Utah’s rotation.

It doesn’t take long to notice Exum’s best offensive skill. His speed is special, and his first step is lethal and almost unguardable. It’s not hard for him to get to the paint. That's what he could do.

The problem came when he got there. He wasn’t always making the right reads, and that led to some poor shots and bad turnovers. Eliminating those issues was key in Exum's future success. And that’s what Exum and Watkinson set out to do.

Exum said he’s been logging extra time at the practice facility, running through drills to better put his skill set to use.

“That’s just Wat with a pad,” he said, smiling.

Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) dunks the ball as the Utah Jazz and the Philadelphia 76ers play an NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018. (Qiling Wang, KSL)
Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) dunks the ball as the Utah Jazz and the Philadelphia 76ers play an NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018. (Qiling Wang, KSL)

That has led to an increase in confidence and a new level of production. When Exum has gotten into the paint over the past two weeks, he has known what to do. That might mean shooting a soft floater, or it could mean dumping it off for a cutting teammate, or finishing off a drive himself at the rim.

“I’ve just been putting in a lot of work in the practice facility, and then just going out there in games and playing as comfortable as possible,” Exum said. “It’s just confidence and knowing my ability now.”

It’s been a drastic change for Exum from where he was at the beginning of the month.

From Nov. 28 to Dec. 10, the Jazz played seven games — Exum played double-digit minutes in just two of them. He didn’t play at all in a win over Brooklyn, played just two minutes in a loss at Miami and just three in a loss to San Antonio.

“A few weeks ago, I think Dante was at a point where he just needed to continue to invest and continue to work,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “That is what he has done. You can see he's playing with more poise and more confidence. I think that is reflective of the effort he has put in, and the focus he had on certain aspects of his game that are important to our team.”

Now that Exum is seeing consistent minutes (he’s averaged 18 minutes over the last eight games), he’s trying to use that time to help grow his game more.

“Making sure when I do get the opportunity, that I do get to my spot, and try to do something,” Exum said. “Or if it gets blocked, saying, ‘OK, what can I do better?’”

That question has fueled Exum’s improved play. And it’s one he hasn’t stopped asking.

“I’m starting to use more fakes,” Exum said. “I think I need to jump higher to finish over guys. Once I get in there, playing slow and finding the right option. Once I suck in the defense, finding the open man.”

He’s continuing to find things he needs to work on. The simple talk is continuing to resonate.

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