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Just so folks are clear, that was a full year ago, when Exum was a skinny, twiggy 17 (Smart was 19). And he only played 11 minutes in that game due to tweaking his ankle.Teamwise - that was a pretty major mismatch.Not sure any sensible GM is going to draw many conclusions about Smart OR Exum from that at this point.
Quote from: mmmmm on June 16, 2014, 02:47:20 PMJust so folks are clear, that was a full year ago, when Exum was a skinny, twiggy 17 (Smart was 19). And he only played 11 minutes in that game due to tweaking his ankle.Teamwise - that was a pretty major mismatch.Not sure any sensible GM is going to draw many conclusions about Smart OR Exum from that at this point.The question, though, is what has he done since then to convince anyone he's destined to be a bona fide NBA superstar? Presumably, NBA scouts have seen stuff that the general public hasn't, but I mean the kid's spent the last year playing in a league where apparently they don't even keep stats.
Note: Exum averaged 25.5 points and 4.8 assists in the next four games after his encounter with Team USA, almost single handedly willing his team to the semi-finals and an eventual fourth place finish. These were essentially the last competitive games Exum played in before his eventual NBA debut next season, and thus a substantial part of his evaluation as a NBA prospect.
Exum, 17, in one of his first couple of games against elite competition.Smart, 19, who already had loads of experience competing at a high level....and Exum played fairly well despite some obvious and understandable struggles.
Still, nobody has answered my question: What has Dante Exum done since the summer of 2013?I know the answer:He's hidden himself away in Australia, and let the hype of that summer do the work for him. I'm not necessarily faulting him, but that's the reality.
Quote from: Celtics18 on June 16, 2014, 10:06:22 PMStill, nobody has answered my question: What has Dante Exum done since the summer of 2013?I know the answer:He's hidden himself away in Australia, and let the hype of that summer do the work for him. I'm not necessarily faulting him, but that's the reality.He had good numbers at the scouting combine. He's worked out for teams and his stocked has remained high, so it's safe to say he's done well. It's not as though he's in a cave somewhere and living off last summer.
Quote from: Eddie20 on June 16, 2014, 10:17:10 PMQuote from: Celtics18 on June 16, 2014, 10:06:22 PMStill, nobody has answered my question: What has Dante Exum done since the summer of 2013?I know the answer:He's hidden himself away in Australia, and let the hype of that summer do the work for him. I'm not necessarily faulting him, but that's the reality.He had good numbers at the scouting combine. He's worked out for teams and his stocked has remained high, so it's safe to say he's done well. It's not as though he's in a cave somewhere and living off last summer.Yeah. From what I've read, he's spent his time in the U.S. working out privately with top coaches. The kid has obvious physical tools to go along with some excellent skills. I completely understand why he's likely to be a top-4 pick, though there's no guarantee that he will pan out.I do think Smart's floor is significantly higher than Exum's and I think his ceiling is nearly as high.
Quote from: Celtics18 on June 16, 2014, 10:06:22 PMStill, nobody has answered my question: What has Dante Exum done since the summer of 2013?I know the answer:He's hidden himself away in Australia, and let the hype of that summer do the work for him. I'm not necessarily faulting him, but that's the reality.
Quote from: Kevin OConnor on June 16, 2014, 10:47:31 PMQuote from: Celtics18 on June 16, 2014, 10:06:22 PMStill, nobody has answered my question: What has Dante Exum done since the summer of 2013?I know the answer:He's hidden himself away in Australia, and let the hype of that summer do the work for him. I'm not necessarily faulting him, but that's the reality. I don't think that what I'm saying is all that controversial. He hasn't played against any real competition in real games that matter since the summer of 2013, unless you count the Australian high school games he played in. If I'm wrong, please correct me, and let me know about the big games he's played in over the course of the last year.