The Draft List; Things Have Changed

Dante Exum

First on the list is Dante Exum.  There are a few mock drafts that have him slipping down to the Laker pick.  How did that happen?  Noah Vonleh and Marcus Smart may have brought themselves to top-5 selections.  With Smart, team executives know they’re getting an All-NBA defender, triple threat play, and tremendous competitiveness.  Dante Exum remains an enigma. Still, even as a combo guard, he has great size for his position.  Without shoes, he stands at 6’4.5″ with a 6’9″ wingspan.  He is more of a natural playmaker than Marcus Smart, and it shows with his ability to breakdown his defender in isolation, or in pick-and-roll situations.  He has tremendous defensive potential as well. He just isn’t well known enough.  But, if executives thought of him as a high school player, their opinions may change again.