02-14-2025, 06:24 PM
(02-14-2025, 04:44 PM)Winter Wrote: “When I was looking around, I was the vet,” Exum said. “It was like me and Spence (Spencer Dinwiddie). I think just showing that I was gonna push the pace, try and lead in that way. If I’m aggressive and try and get to the paint, see what happens, kind of be contagious.”
“Sometimes when you sit out for that long you get to see what you can be successful at,” Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said of Exum. “Since he’s been back, I think we’re playing faster, understanding that it is unselfishness, but also the ball touching the paint and for him to be able to finish… We’re happy to have him back. We need to keep him on the floor.”
To me, that sounds like a guy who no longer thinks it's a good idea to defer to others... especially in regards to driving to the hoop and shooting from the perimeter.
Yeah, I think that's right. He's better now than he was last season, and last season he was really good. I think the time sitting this season, and listening to Kidd, I think that was an education to him that moved him away from some weaknesses. In particular, the idea that being aggressive and creating shots is more valuable to the team than just taking the shots that come to you.