3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' thrilling Game 5 win over Thunder

4. Dud - Dante Exum

Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum was coming off his best game of the playoffs as he finished with five points while shooting 2-4 from the field, and it looked like he could finally have his groove back. The Mavs have needed Exum to step up in some way or another, and he did that in his limited run in Game 4.

Despite this solid performance, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd completely benched Exum in Game 5, and Jaden Hardy got some run instead. Hardy only finished with two points in this game while shooting 1-5 from the field, but at least he showed some energy and wasn't afraid to handle the ball.

Exum has had no confidence for the entire playoffs, and his struggles in the playoffs are represented by Kidd deciding to go away from him completely.

Before the playoffs, no one expected him to struggle this badly, and he was even expected to be a huge X-factor, but everyone was wrong in that aspect. Exum has failed to make an impact in most of the playoff games that he played in this season, and him being benched after being an elite role player during the regular season is disappointing.

Exum's shooting during the regular season made him an indispensable role player, and only time will tell if he's able to return to the rotation later in the playoffs.