[YoungKINGSParticipant]

All my insiders please to share!! This kid fell off the map after he got injured and he wasn’t just some ordinary kid I seen some big time comparisons that he had to live up to. Very young and intriguing prospect I really hope he’s back stronger than ever

[Hype Machine]

Nice of you to ask.

My inside information tells me that hes cleared to play for several weeks. He could have even played Olympics….but decided not to.

Optimism in Utah is high that he can be a Fat Lever / Penny Hardaway hybrid.

Expect him to be the best player from the draft within 18-24mths and a perennial All Star.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[XYRYXParticipant]

 I also wondered how he is doing since his injury is now more than a year ago and he is cleared for court action since mid June. Media is saying he is doing fine since then and last thing ain’t read is he was playing paintball at a CoD convention which should mean his knee should be fine. Personally I have no expectations and would be surprised if he has more then a nice bounce back season. solid shooting numbers would be fine but also a tough task for him. 

And Hype you’re loosing a lot credibility to me by posting this hideous hype about EVERY AUSTRALLIAN player EVERY TIME you have the chance to do so. There are a lot of nice young players and Exum for sure is a one of them but come on. Better then Wiggins, Parker, Gordon, Embiid, Smart, Randle, Payton, Saric, LaVine, Nurkic, Hood, Kyle Anderson, Jokic, Dwight Powell or Clarkson??? I mean he just had a rookie year with awful shooting numbers and wasn’t really part of the offense. it kind of showed flashes of potential and the year after player no game at all with a torn acl. I would be nice and realistic for him to just bounce back and be a starting PG on a team with like 6 pgs and to really believe he will be better then the others listed above is ignorant since the others all had kind of good 2nd years. I actually would be surprised if Exum ends up better then Hood who I like very much. You’re truly the worst kind of homer on here. Be real man

[Jr. ROXASParticipant]

I am interested to see if he improved his ball-handling. His ball-handling is quite poor, especially if he is consistently dubbed "the next Penny." 

[Taylor Gang MikeParticipant]

 He is SOFT

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

 The correct spelling is SWAFT, Swaft!

And I believe Exum will become one of those busts we make memes about in a few years…

Like people compared him to Kobe and Penny, it’s a recipe for disaster

 

 

 

 

 

[Hype Machine]

No wonder Colin Kapernick doesnt stand for the national anthem. The racism is real…and since the slavemasters cant openly hate on black Americans anymore, they choose easy targets they can get away with. Aussies.

Proof?

White Aussies – Voted most dirty by fans and Paul George who taddled to the media like a b**** after theyd already won in a total lack of sportsmanship. 

Black Aussies – Soft (see above)

Then you got this phenom Thon Maker who busts his hump all game long, so he cant be either soft or dirty…..so these racists are stuck right? Well he musssst be lying about his age.

Then you got this cat Visenberg who is on record laughably stating Thon Maker isnt even good enough to beat Lithuanian Import Brock Motum, or Bulls reject Cam Bairstow for the 4th string bigman spot on the 2020 Olympic team. 

Wheres all my kudos for being the only one who said Maker goes top 10?

Do I need to link to the thread where I was the only one who predicted Delly would beat Mo Williams for minutes in Cleveland.

Then you got these turncoat haters like Negguary and Scarecrow who are on Brandon Ingrams nutsack all year whilst hating on Simmons, only to do a 180degree U-turn the second Philly got the #1 pick.

So play that Star Spangled Banner out loud. I’ll be sitting on my fat behind and sending the memo to all the Aussie players to do the same.

 

And the best thing about draftnet? You can be a racist in anonymity and neg away in silence. So go ahead…

 

[holefillers1Participant]

 Probably has to do with all your anscestors being convicts.  Also, I don’t care if you and your crew of flunkies sit, stand or pick your nose during the National Anthem. If your not a citizen of the US then you cant vote and you will not effect change. Also nice job fishing for complements in the middle of that tantrum. 

[Hype Machine]

I welcome everyone to fly down under for a holiday. Leave it to Hype to provide some local hospitality. 

Australia is the most multicultural country in the world. 

Just check the national team

 

Simmons & Exum – American Background

Bogut – Croatian

Mills – Aborigine

Dellavedova – Italian

Maker – Sudanese

Ingles – Possible Convict

Baynes – New Zealand

 

 

[The Scare Crow RisesParticipant]

 Fact 1:My brother in law is from Australia by way of Germany, and he’s a great guy

Fact 2: I happened to have a thing for Sheila’s with Aussie accents 

Fact 3: Forget I wrote down Fact 2

Fact 4: I am the farthest thing from a turn coat, alwayloved Ben Simmons and never thought we’d win the #1 pick, always figured we get #2 or 3 and I felt Ingram was a glove like fit for the roster as is…

Fact 5: I was an advocate for BC signing Delladova to a significant deal in the deal in off season Could have been a perfect PG next to Simmons and Saric

Fact 6: I believe in Ben Simmons and wish Thon/Dante/Delly/Bogut/Mills all well, I like all those guys personally and couldn’t be happier to cheer them on as I am not a xenophobic Merican

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OhCanada-Participant]

 Even a broken clock is right two times a day.

[ZouldiersParticipant]

 I believe it’s S.A.W.F.T,  SAAAAAWWWFFT. But, I don’t think he’s a bust though just decent.

[SeattleSuperChronicsParticipant]

 Thought this dude was gunna be the next Penny….Boy was I wrong. Dude is from Bust City, Bustraila where average basketball players get a chance because of sub par evaluators getting the last job on a NBA organization 

[brodiejayParticipant]

Damn Hype. Once again you’re making us Aussie ball fans look bad! I’m a massive fan of Aussie players too, but you’ve gotta suspend your bias when you’re talking about our guys.

I agree that Aussie players like Delly and Bogut have been incorrectly labeled as dirty in other posts… but nothing in this thread was racist until your response.

Anyway, back on topic… from all I’ve heard, Dante has been training well and is close to 100%. The Jazz will still remain cautious and can bring him back slowly. They wisely brought in George Hill as insurance while Exum gets his confidence and rhythm back.

Now… I watched every game of Dante’s rookie season with the Jazz, and despite what the stats indicate if that’s all you look at, he played well. He wasn’t asked to do much on offense other than take threes when he was open and distribute from the top of the key. He did exactly that, making smart, crisp passes and hitting those open shots at a reasonable clip for someone whose shooting was VERY sub-par before he was drafted.

He made smart set-up passes to start their offense, and had very good chemistry with Gobert and found him consistently for pick and roll ally-oop dunks. Snyder’s system didn’t require Exum to be a drive and dish guard racking up assists. He was asked to be a role-player point guard- to bring the ball up and start the offense, then swing the ball to the wings or make post entry passes as the play unfolded. Coach Snyder was very happy with the way Exum performed that role.

On defense was where Exum showed his value much earlier than expected. His 6’6" frame is obviously an advantage guarding the opponent’s initiator and his length gave opposition PGs genuine problems as a rookie. 

As an Aussie and a homer FAN of Exum, I was excited for his second season, as I knew Coach Quinn wanted to utilise his speed and driving abilities more after his first season plan of learning the system and improving his shooting.

In his first (and unfortunately only) Summer League game last year, he showed the genuine aggressiveness Jazz fans had been waiting for. We knew he was capable of playing that way, as his whole junior career before being drafted was based on speed, slashing, driving and dishing. In that Summer League game, he blew past his defenders consistently and got to the rim at will. He finished around the rim, drew fouls, and dished to open players. It was exciting for me to see him unleashed after watching him shackled in his role as a rookie.

In summary:

I don’t think he’ll be the best player from his draft class. I don’t think he’ll be a perennial All-Star. I don’t think he’ll be pre-injury Penny Hardaway.

However, I do think he’ll be very good. I do think he’ll be an elite on-ball defender in a few years. I do think he’ll slash and score like Leandro Barbosa. I do think he’ll become a great distributor by using his height to pass "over the top" like Shaun Livingston does.

I think calling him soft, sawft, or SWAFT (don’t get that one) is a bit unfair. Tearing your ACL is unlucky, not soft. How he recovers from the injury will be paramount to his success the next couple of years. I think his playing style bodes well though, as unlike Derrick Rose, his game isn’t built on explosive speed. His speed is more cat-like, evasive, "slinky" quickness (Barbosa) than explosive power (Rose), so I think the injury won’t set him back like it would for other players that have suffered the same misfortune.

 

TL;DR-

Exum will be good if he recovers well from his ACL tear. He’s already a good defender. I love Aussie players but I’m realistic. Dante’s rookie stats are misleading, as he was asked to play a role, which he did well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brodiejayParticipant]

Also Hype, for what it’s worth- I consistently said Maker was going to be very good. I never understood how Draftnet "experts" could justify calling him a terrible player over and over, when educated basketball fans and coaches could see his talent and NBA potential. There are VERY few humans in the world with his combination of height, handles, speed, shooting, motor, and shot blocking.

I said all along that he’d be drafted WAY earlier than mocks predicted. Like Exum, he’s not a finished product by any means but also like Exum, he’s an intelligent young man, plays hard, and has been lauded universally for his work ethic and drive to get better.

I think they’ll both become very effective NBA players in a few years.

When you consider Exum, Thon Maker and Ben Simmons will be added to veterans like Delly, Mills, Baynes, Bogut, Motum, Broekoff, Bairstow and Ingles… The future of Australian basketball is looking good.

I think Australia and Canada will give the traditionally strong international teams like Spain, Argentina, and the US a real run for their money in the next few years.

No need for extra home-fan hype… Canada and Australia will be good!

 

 

[sheepish_moParticipant]

 Those saying bust are being a wee bit premature and harsh here. 

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