Dante Exum's road back to the NBA and his pathway to a role with Mavericks

Dante Exum improved handily overseas and showed brief flashes of a valuable skillset in his NBA tenure

Despite only averaging 20.7 minutes per game in Liga ACB, EuroLeague, and ABA affairs throughout his tenure overseas versus top EuroLeague opponents, Exum looked very impressive playing for EuroLeague squads Barcelona and Partizan Mozzart Bet.

With Barcelona, Exum was relegated to more of a tertiary role, with veterans of the squad and former NBA players Nikola Mirotic and Nick Calathes being the spearheads of the organization. However, Exum still showcased his relentless perimeter defense, athleticism in transition, and the ability to attack defenders 1 on 1 and off closeouts throughout his lone season in Barcelona in 2021-22.

Exum was able to showcase his improved shooting with Partizan Mozzart Bet in 33 EuroLeague contests and 23 ABA contests this past 2022-23 season. In 56 total games with Partizan Mozzart Bet this past season, Exum shot 44.5 percent on three-point attempts, at a rate of 2.6 three-point attempts per game.

In EuroLeague contests specifically, Exum averaged 13.3 points per game in 33 games and took control for Partizan Mozzart Bet in the ABA league as their leading scorer. Exum flashed the ability to shoot over the top of screens off the bounce from beyond the arc, as well as improved consistency on spot-up threes this past season.

Exum still maintained his versatility in transition and looked good as a driver by showcasing a much more consistent finishing ability as well as better decision-making in his time overseas comparable to his time spent with the Jazz and Cavaliers.

You can see some of his athleticism on display in the open court as well as against defenders head-up in this clip of him throwing down some monstrous dunks in some of his best EuroLeague plays from this past season.