Should Dante Exum Start At Point Guard For The Utah Jazz?

Over the past few weeks there have been several articles discussing the question of should Dante Exum start at point guard for the Utah Jazz. Every article I have seen up to this point has argued that Exum should start over Trey Burke.

Burke struggled as a rookie and those struggles have continued into his sophomore year. Burke is shooting poorly and looks as though he is too small and slow to be a quality point guard in the league. Perhaps in time he will be able to make the necessary adjustments to his game.

Exum on the other hand has come into games and played relatively well. He has the best assist/turnover ration amongst all rookies. He has shown his ability to get to the rim and set up teammates. His defense and shooting ability have also been better than many expected coming into the season. Due to the early success and Exum and the struggles of Burke the question of who should be starting is warranted.

However, I do not think Exum should be starting.

Before I begin my reasoning, let me state that I agree with pretty much every point I have read on why Exum should be starting. He has been playing better than Burke, he appears to be the point guard of the future, and playing time will help his development.

The problem is, most fans are overlooking that is he is still so young and inexperienced and simply throwing him to the wolves may not be in his best interest. Just a year ago Exum was playing against high schoolers in Australia. Now he is playing against NBA players. Even playing against the second string NBA players is light years ahead of what he was playing against last season.

Yes, he has performed well against backups and occasionally had the opportunity to play against starters, but is it fair to suddenly ask him to play 30 plus minutes a night against some of the best athletes in the world? Defense was supposed to be one of the biggest weaknesses in Exum’s game.

Exum has played better defense than expected, but still has a ways to go. He is learning to play fundamentally sound defense and appears to be gaining confidence in his defensive abilities.

What would happen if suddenly Exum is guarding Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, or Kyrie Irving? Exum would stand little chance of staying in front of any of those players. Granted, those are some of the best point guards in the league, but it is also the  deepest position in the NBA and nearly every team has a solid starting point guard (or three if you are Phoenix).

Would getting beat to the basket over and over again be beneficial for Exum? It is possible that it could be, if it drives him to improve, but it could also damage his confidence if he starts to get down on himself. Would it not be better for his development to let him learn to play defense against lesser, yet quality competition?

He would still be gaining the experience of playing, would still be able to guard to top point guards for at least a couple minutes a night, and continue to learn to play the game.

My second reason is similar to my first. There is simply no rush.

Yes, there is the adage that through playing time he will be able to develop and grow. Yes, he needs playing time, but he has been getting playing time. Perhaps not enough for some people, but all the same, he is playing just over 18 minutes per game.

The Jazz are going to struggle this year. They are learning a new system and are still young and inexperienced. If the Jazz were contenders or even competing for a playoff spot then maybe they do start Exum considering he is playing better than Burke up to this point.

However, they are not, so there is no hurry to throw Exum out on the court and let him sink or swim. Before tossing him into the deep end, why not bring him along slowly, let him learn to doggy paddle, then how to freestyle with the proper technique? Simply tossing him in may, as I pointed out earlier, cause him to sink and never reach his potential.

Or perhaps if he does learn to swim he learns by thrashing about with terrible technique. He may be the first to learn to swim, but others who begin later and learn proper technique will quickly catch and surpass him. It is one thing to know how to swim, it is another to swim the right way.

Exum needs to learn how to play the game of basketball the right way. The best way for him to fundamentally learn the game is to not take on more than he can handle. It is through practice that he will learn to play the right way. Game time is valuable, but it is off the court in the gyms and working out that stars are made. Let’s not put too much emphasis on game time.

The third reason I do not think he should be starting is due to his age.

Look at the list of players who were drafted at the age of 18. Yes you have Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard and others that have been highly successful, but you also have Kwame Brown, Martell Webster, Darius Miles, Eddy Curry, and others who were top picks and never materialized.

The expectations are huge when a player is taken at the top of the draft. Put these expectations on an 18-19-year-old, who is leaving home for the first time and thrown into the spotlight can easily be too much too handle. Not only are these challenges difficult enough to overcome, but Exum has even more challenges being a foreign player.

Fortunately, he comes from a country that speaks English, but there will still be a cultural adjustment to be made. He is a 19-year-old who is now living half way around the world. The Jazz have done a great job in helping him feel comfortable with the signing of Joe Ingles, who is also from Australia.

The Jazz also have a few other international players, who can help make the adjustment easier, but he still needs to adjust and doing so takes time.

The fourth reason is I am still hoping Burke can improve his play is he is still only in his second season in the league. He too is young and trying to improve his game. I do not think Burke is the point guard of the future.

I also do not think Burke will be part of the long-term plans for the Jazz, even as a backup. For that reason I would like to see him play as well as possible, if for no other reason than to raise his trade stock. If he is playing poorly or not playing much at all then what the Jazz will be able to receive in a trade is greatly limited? If he shows that he can play then maybe the Jazz are able to get something in return of value.

Finally, I trust that the Jazz are more familiar with what he can handle and what will be best for Exum in the long run.

The biggest reason many Jazz fans were excited about the hiring of Quin Snyder was his ability to develop players. So why would I question someone who I view as one of the best in player development?

As much as we love to sit on our comfortable couches and coach the team from our living rooms while stuffing our faces with potato chips there is a reason Snyder is on the sideline and we are not. Snyder knows what he is doing. He has a track record of player development, so I am going to let him do his thing without criticism just yet.

So, before the growing cry to start Exum grows too loud let’s take a second, breathe, and think about what is best for the team long-term.

It is easy to get caught up in the emotion of the moment, but considering Exum may potentially be a franchise player the best move may be to handle with care.

Simply let Exum learn and grow this season. His playing time will likely increase as the season wears on if things continue as they are now. Perhaps he will even be starting by the end of the season.

Regardless, I would much rather the Jazz ere on the side of caution and do what they believe to be best for Exum then to risk any potential setbacks to his development.