Danté Exum's hot start with Partizan isn't slowing down
This season, Exum is finding his niche as a lead guard for Serbian heavyweight Partizan Belgrade.
Danté Exum has been one of the more unlucky players on the Aussie hoops scene in recent years. A string of injuries derailed his hopes of becoming an NBA mainstay, and the road back hasn’t been easy. The 27 year old was a key member of Australia’s bronze medal-winning team at the Tokyo Olympics, and later helped Barcelona reach the EuroLeague final four, but this hasn’t quite translated to an NBA deal. Nevertheless, Exum has taken another leap in the 2022-23 season, after signing with Serbian giant Partizan Belgrade.
The move to Belgrade was an interesting one, since Exum likely had numerous options for his next move - including the NBL, G League and that elusive NBA contract. However, we only needed to wait until Exum’s second game to see that the switch has paid dividends. In a EuroLeague clash against ALBA Berlin, the Aussie recorded 22 points, four assists and two assists in 33 minutes of playing time. It became clear that Partizan signed Exum to play a lead guard role, and his isolation scoring was a major highlight.
Exum’s quick first step allows him to beat his defender off the dribble, with or without an aiding screen. Historically, his jump shot has been an area for improvement, but that narrative has shifted ever since he moved to Europe. Throughout twelve matches in all competitions (seven EuroLeague games + five Liga ABA games), Exum has achieved career best efficiency in terms of shooting.
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