Jason Kidd: Dante Exum Playing Like 'Max Player' for Dallas Mavs

Mavs coach Jason Kidd had lofty praise for Dante Exum amid his strong recent play, comparing his production to that of a max contract player.

DALLAS — With the Dallas Mavericks having no shortage of crucial backcourt and wing talents sidelined as of late, the team has relied more heavily on Dante Exum. 

Exum, who returned to the NBA from a two-year stint in the EuroLeague, signed a two-year contract worth $6.2 million to join the Mavs in free agency this summer. Entering Thursday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he averaged 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 15.0 minutes per game on the season. 

With Kyrie Irving and Josh Green sidelined, the Mavs have relied on Exum more heavily as of late, starting him alongside Luka Doncic and Irving against the Utah Jazz, then continuing to start Exum after Irving's injury. Dallas has gone 4-0 so far with Exum starting, while he's averaged 17.5 points, 5.8 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in his starts. 

"He's a basketball player. We're trying to keep this simple," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said of Exum's impact. "I know we're looking for a buzzword or something different in the world, but he's a basketball player — playing his role and being a star in his role, it's a pretty cool thing because he's not a max player. But he's playing like a max player.

"It's a beautiful thing to watch. He deserves Everything he's getting right now," Kidd explained. "The expectations were off the charts for him when he was drafted at 18, but sometimes it just takes people a little bit longer."

Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum during the 2023-24 NBA season / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Exum's most substantial impact came in a 127-125 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, with a season-high 26 points while making a career-high seven 3-pointers. He's continued to emphasize letting it fly on the catch in recent games the more he's played alongside Doncic, knowing the wide-open looks will come as defenses focus on containing the Slovenian superstar. 

"I think it started in L.A. And then a lot of teams started to put their center on me. So, ever since then, I have been in the gym working," Exum said. "Credit to the staff and even our players. Constantly trusting me to shoot the ball and to pass it to me. It was trust in myself and confidence to keep shooting it.

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"I think how Luka plays, and he can find anyone at any point," Exum explained. "Knowing guys are going to help off to double him, and I have to be ready. I try to put myself in a situation where I can be on the floor. I don't want to be the guy that is taken out because I can't hit that shot."

Kidd looks forward to coaching Exum throughout the remainder of the season, expressing how glad he is the veteran guard choice to play in Dallas. After having a daughter recently, Exum appears to be playing with a lot of joy, which Kidd believes has translated partly due to enjoying things in life beyond basketball. 

"I'm just glad he's arrived here in Dallas, and he's on our side," Kidd said. "But I think the fun, the smile, again, in life, we go through different things. Having a baby, you can see that he's just having fun out there. And I think when you have fun in life, good things happen, and then he's one of those guys. And I think [Luka Doncic] is having fun too, and you can see what he's doing."

With Irving not having a timetable for his return to the lineup yet, the Mavs will surely need to continue to rely on Exum to provide a combination of initiating, defensive impact, and off-the-catch attacking alongside Doncic. When the team's healthy, Exum's role will be something to monitor.