SALT LAKE CITY — As an 18-year-old “international mystery,” Danté Exum is ready to showcase his talents at the highest level of competition in the world. And as a No. 5 pick in the draft, Exum will be expected to be an extremely valuable asset on a Utah Jazz team in the midst of rebuilding.

Despite his age, Exum exhibits a maturity and understanding of his game rarely seen by incoming athletes in an egocentric league. Exum lives for the present and hopes for the best in the future.

“His favorite phrase is that he lives in the now,” Danté’s father, Cecil, said. “You can’t do anything about what’s happened in the past; he’s got to prove something. But he’s always looking at the present and looking forward to the future.”

Cecil — who played at the University of North Carolina with Hall of Fame athletes Michael Jordan and James Worthy before playing professionally in the Australian National Basketball League — has always maintained an advisory role for his son, never pushing the game upon him or making decisions for his future.

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“We’ve always tried to help, be resourceful for our kids, but not make decision for them,” Cecil said. “Even the process of him making a decision of foregoing college and going into the draft: I thought it was the right decision to make, but he had to come up with the same decision before we made that commitment to enter into the 2014 draft.”

“He always wanted to be in the NBA, so it was like, 'What do we do? How do we get him there?' ” Danté’s mother, Desiree, said. “Now he’s here.”

At age 15, Exum left his home to live at the Australian Institute of Sports, a high-performance sports agency that helps athletes excel in international leagues. Exum would go on to play for the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship and the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship, where he was named to the All-Tournament Team.

In his three years away from home, Danté learned to adapt to different game styles and schemes, which he says has prepared him for the NBA.

“Being on the AIS camp, it gave me the opportunity to play on the international circuit,” Danté said. “The point of that was to play against different types of players. It’s about the different style of games that teaches you to be adaptive to when you’re coming to play in the NBA. That’s what I plan to be, is adaptive. If something’s not working it’s just the ability to change and adapt to what I need to be doing.”

And although there will be high expectations placed upon Danté as a top pick in a deep draft, his parents believe their son will prove to the Jazz and the NBA why he deserves the praise.

“The whole mystery thing surrounding him, he’s going to dispel that,” Desiree said. “He’s already looking forward to the summer league to get out there and play with his teammates and show people that (he’s) not a mystery anymore.”

“He has great support around him,” Cecil said. “His (training) team’s focus is making him the best player that he can be. I think he’s made leaps and bounds even between February and now. We’re very proud of him and what he’s done so far.”

Cecil, who has watched his son mature and grow in the game of basketball with a close eye, said Danté’s ability to make decisions will be one of the biggest factors in his NBA success.

“He talks about his quick first step and his ability to get to the basket,” he said. “But I think his decision making will probably surprise a lot of people for his age and youthfulness.”

Whether Danté will be able to adapt quickly to the NBA model and be a contributing member of a Jazz team that desperately needs his quickness and scoring abilities, his parents say he’s got all the support he needs.

Nevertheless, Danté’s parents say he’s already shown he can learn from his mistakes and improve.

“We don’t cut the reins, because we still want to be involved and give him all the support he needs. But we give him the room to grow and learn from his mistakes. So far he’s handled himself very well,” Cecil said.

With it being a difficult transition to the NBA for any rookie, his parents hope Danté maintains his optimistic attitude and has fun along the way, no matter how difficult the transition becomes.

“He’s a jokester, he’s a prankster,” Cecil said. “He has a great sense of humor, and as he gets to know you it will shine through and it will come through.”

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