Utah Jazz alumni: Dante Exum has breakout game in Cleveland

Just two weeks after being traded away from the Utah Jazz, Dante Exum scored a new career high and nearly led the Cavaliers to a come from behind win.

It was a little over two weeks ago when we were wondering if Dante Exum would ever get on the court for the Utah Jazz. He was healthy, but wasn’t receiving any meaningful playing time.

The Jazz front office knew the bench needed somebody that could score, and decided to put the final nail on the coffin and send away their beloved draft project of 2014. It took a couple of second round picks in order to get the Cavs to pull the trigger on the trade, showing just how low Exum’s trade value really was.

Early returns were good for the Utah Jazz. Jordan Clarkson showed he was easily a superior scorer to any Jazz player off the bench, and scored 19 and 20 points in his second and third games as a Jazzman. The Jazz started building a winning streak that still exists today, and the community embraced Clarkson.

As for the Cavaliers, they just got a taste of why the Jazz always had such high hopes for Exum. Less than two weeks of playing in the wine and gold jerseys, Exum exploded for 28 points off the bench Sunday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

When he checked in the game in the third quarter, the Cavs were down big and looking like a lost cause. At the 8:29 mark in the fourth quarter, the game was a one point Cavs lead off a made three pointer from Dante.

Exum made 11 of his 13 shots and all four of his treys. At times he looked like the best player on the court, and to top it all off his demeanor both during and after the game was calm and humble.

Cavs fans have to be pleased with what they’ve seen out of Ex thus far. Despite only being 24 years old, Dante can be considered a veteran having been surrounded with a winning and playoff culture his first five seasons in the league.

He knows what it takes to win, and he knows what it takes to be a good defender; both things are ultra-valuable to the Cavs locker room as they try to groom Darius Garland and Collin Sexton into future stars.

As of today (Monday), Cleveland is 29th in defensive rating and can certainly use a player like Exum to help them learn better defensive principles. And for the most part, Cleveland’s roster doesn’t have any playoff experience outside of the leftovers from their previous Finals runs.

With a trade feeling imminent for Kevin Love and possibly Tristan Thompson, Exum has really found a golden opportunity to resurrect his career in The Land.