Dante Exum
It’s almost unfair to put incredibly high expectations on Dante Exum. With Exum’s high draft selection coming largely as a result of hype and speculated upside and after missing an entire season due to a torn ACL, it’s hard to know what the 21-year-old guard out of Australia really can do.
While the Jazz certainly have more point guard depth than they are accustomed to in the likes of Hill, Mack, and Neto, Exum’s improvement could very well be the X-factor in whether the Jazz and their second unit are elite or run of the mill.
As Exum begins to realize his potential and even perhaps challenge George Hill for the starting gig, his level of play could be the key that begins to separate the Jazz from opponents that formerly gave them trouble.
Exum was drafted with hopes and whispers of superstar potential. As a team that has long lacked a bona fide star, the Jazz could certainly use some superstar-like play to help propel them up the standings this season.
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While the Utah Jazz clearly improved from a talent standpoint based strictly on the new players they’ve added to the team this offseason, the real determining factor in how far they will be able to go this year resides in how well their core and young players improve.
Although that improvement has to come from each and every member of the team, the growth of these four players, who have shown brief flashes of brilliance but have yet to come anywhere near their peak, will be the most vital to the Jazz’s success.
If all four of them have the kind of break-out year that they’re capable of this season, don’t be surprised if the Jazz team as a whole also has an incredible break-out and makes some serious noise in the West.
All stats courtesy of basketball-reference.com