A good meal is not afraid of being late, and the Lone Ranger has strengthened significantly this year. Pick a high-quality interior rookie, Lefley, to sign Williams in free agency. Of course, they also chose the treasure. This person is none other than the protagonist of this article, Exum.
Many Exum fans are familiar with 2014, a rare draft year. Axum was drafted with the fifth pick in the first round and was the highest-picked guard in the draft.
After entering the league, Exum had high expectations, but he was lost in the slump and injuries, and for a time faded out of the league. This season, he has regained his form with the Mavericks, and he can be regarded as honoring the talent of the year.
Recently, he has been in hot form, helping the team to win 4 out of 5 games.
Exum's form has been on a hot streak in recent times, especially during Irving's injury, and Exum has stepped up. It has become the team's most consistent offensive initiation point except for Doncic.
In the last 5 games, he averaged 19 points per game, and the team won 4 of 5 games. So far this season, Exum has averaged less than 18 minutes and handed over 77+2.9+2.4 and a shooting percentage of 542%, and the three-point shooting percentage is as high as 425%。In a small amount of playing time, Exum was extremely efficient.
At the same time, Exum is also regaining his confidence on the field. At the time, he was seen by the Jazz as the centerpiece of the future. During this time, he really played like the core on the field.
Bad luck in the early part of his career, with a series of injuries.
Early in his career, Exum seemed to have been cursed with luck, and he entered his first season with the Jazz. Of course, this is also a problem that many non-American rising stars have to deal with, and it takes time to adapt to being in a completely different league.
Exum had a poor rookie season, averaging less than 5 points in 22 minutes per game and shooting a low 349%。The Jazz gave him patience when Exum wanted to change his form. Since the second year of his career, Exum has suffered a series of serious injuries, notably a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee. The injury was devastating for defenders.
In the 19 and 20 season, the Jazz traded Exum, who was actually in good shape when he first joined the Cavaliers. But he was plagued by injuries. Injuries had to stop Exum's footsteps, and he played a total of 30 games in his two seasons with the Cavaliers.
After the 2020 '21 season, Exum was briefly abandoned by the NBA, and he had to play in the Euroleague as a last resort.
Perhaps, this period of time in the Europa League helped Exum regain himself. After returning to the NBA this year, Exum has played with great confidence, and two things have changed dramatically.
Three-point shooting and ball-handling ability have been greatly improved.
For one, Exum's three-point shooting has improved significantly. Early in his career, Exum was a player who was largely unprojected. Opponents will even give him space to shoot, and no one dares to empty Exum's shot right now.
Especially the game that beat the Lakers. Exum turned into a sharpshooter, scoring 26 points from the field, shooting 7-of-9 from three-point range with explosive efficiency and production.
Compared to his rookie season, Exum's three-point shooting percentage has increased by more than 10%. I don't know how much effort and sweat Exum has put into the three-point shot over the years.
Secondly, Exum's break-through and ball-handling offense are also becoming more and more threatening. When entering the draft, Exum's draft template was former Magic star Hardaway. As a tall defender, Hardaway is extremely capable of shooting individually.
Exum has a very fast breakaway speed, and his finishing efficiency was very ineffective in his early years due to his lack of technical proficiency and physical strength. Exum has been able to break through this season. Whether it's using speed or rhythm, Exum can easily fool opponents and complete the score.
At the same time, he also maintained a very good passing performance. Exum's assist-to-turnover ratio is an astonishing 4:1, which is among the top in the league.
Exum is often able to make some imaginative passes, his penetrating passes and his ability to find team-mates in time.
Help on the defensive end.
Exum is a tall vacancy. The tall Exum defense also helps.
As we all know, the Mavericks' outside defense is weak and there are no good outside defenders. The arrival of Exum can be described as helping Doncic. With him in Doncic, don't have to think about defense.
Doncic has also been in hot form recently, averaging 32 points for the season. Exum's help was indispensable.
The 28-year-old is at the peak of his career, and after an upheavalous early career hiatus, he has finally proven his talent again. He was just ruined by injuries back then.
In addition, there are many star point guards in the league who became famous late. For example, Steve Nash and Kidd both experienced some setbacks in the early stages of their careers, but they were still able to play very efficiently after their thirties. At less than 30 years old, Axum has the time and energy to continue to improve himself.
Dear fans, how do you evaluate Exum's performance this season?Welcome to leave a message in the comment area below the article.