Utah Jazz: Three things Dante Exum needs to show next season
By John Keeffer
Show a willingness to shoot
I understand that Dante Exum isn’t the best shooter in the world and probably never will be, but in order to be an effective offensive player in today’s NBA, you have to be willing to shoot.
Maybe it was in large part due to the shoulder injury last pre-season, but Exum was not a willing shooter upon his return.
In a surprisingly familiar theme, Exum once again showed more during his rookie season than in his last few years. During his rookie year, he surprised many with his confidence in shooting the ball. He attempted 3.2 3-pointers per game, and made 32 percent of those shots.
Every year since then, his shooting volume and efficiencies have dropped. In limited action last season, he attempted only 1.3 threes per game, and shot just 27.8 percent.
Exum attempted a career high in shots last year, but he is simply taking less and less from three. While he does have an impressive ability to get to the basket and create contact, he absolutely has to attempt those shots when they are generated through the offense. His biggest strength of getting to the basket would actually be magnified by shooting more from three to keep the defense honest.