Three most important players to Utah Jazz success in 2017-18

No. 3: Dante Exum

Instead, Ricky Rubio finds himself behind the guy who will likely be his backup in the young Aussie Dante Exum. When Exum was selected with the fifth overall draft pick back in 2014, most Utah Jazz fans were absolutely ecstatic. Exum was thought to be a young player with superstar potential and the fact that the Jazz gambled on him rather than going the conventional route was certainly a pleasant surprise, albeit a risky one.

In his rookie season, Exum showed some flashes, particularly on the defensive end, and it didn’t take long for him to establish himself as the starter albeit on a team with a point guard corp that was shaky at best. Unfortunately, though, Exum went down with an ACL tear in his first offseason as a pro, then once he finally returned in the 2016-17 season, he was stifled by inconsistency in performance and playing time.

However, there were times when Exum showed flashes of the brilliant player many NBA scouts thought he would be capable of becoming. Although his three-point shooting took a significant dive (likely in conjunction with his confidence), once Exum got more comfortable on the floor, he proved that his quick first step could help him get to the rim with surprising ease when he looked to be aggressive and attack.

Exum still has plenty to work on, such as his efficiency, defensive strength so he’s not bullied by bigger guards and his finishing ability, but if Dennis Lindsey’s recent praise is to be believed, we could be in for a new-look Exum next season. Earlier in the summer, the Jazz GM had the following to say about the young guard:

"“Quin and I challenged him in the exit interview and gave him some truth. He’s responded in a big way. You’ll see a tremendous player and some real growth. Dante’s 21. We have very high expectations of him. … Dante is doing extremely good work.”"

A fraction of Dante’s progress was on full display in the Utah Jazz Summer League. Given that Exum was much more experienced than the majority of the players he was going up against, fans had hoped to see him stand out as a clearly more advanced talent and he did not disappoint. Exum finished the Utah Summer League tied for second in scoring at 20 points per game while shooting a highly efficient 52.4 percent from the field.

That’s the kind of offense the Jazz are going to need from Exum this season and beyond, not just so that he can be a valuable bench player, but so that he can eventually fill his potential as a star in this league and develop into the caliber of player that the Jazz expect of him. Despite some setbacks early in his career, Exum still likely has one of the highest upsides of any player on the team and if he can begin to break into that this season, it will be an incredible sight for the Jazz.

And given that Exum still has so much room for growth, his ability to tap into that potential could very well help the Jazz have a more successful season than many are expecting. If he does so, not only could he help the Jazz bench be one of the most daunting in the league, but he could also solidify himself as a key cog in the Jazz roster for years to come.