The Dallas Mavericks topped the San Antonio Spurs 144-119 on Saturday night, and Mavs guard Dante Exum continued his torrid play with 20 points in the win.
Exum has been starting for the Mavs while Kyrie Irving has dealt with injury and has seen a resurgence to a career that saw him playing overseas the last two years.
After the game, Mavs coach Jason Kidd said he expects his role to remain the same, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN:
“Jason Kidd says he expects to keep Dante Exum in the starting lineup even when the Mavs get fully healthy.”
After being the fifth overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, Exum struggled with injuries and production. The Mavs guard has averaged just 5.9 points per game in his career.
Exum was a role player who certainly was not known for his long-range shooting prowess. Still, he displayed signs of potential in Utah. Exum's final season with the Jazz was during the 2019-20 campaign. He ended up joining the Cleveland Cavaliers later that season where he would play until 2021.
Exum was then traded to the Houston Rockets but did not appear in any NBA games with the team. He would end up signing a deal in the EuroLeague for the 2021-22 season. Exum's departure from the NBA led to questions about his basketball future.
After spending two seasons in the EuroLeague, Exum signed a deal with the Mavs for the 2023-24 season.
But since moving to the starting lineup, Exum has averaged 16 points per game on nearly 63 percent shooting from the floor.
Up next for the Mavs: Dallas plays at Phoenix on Monday night to wrap up the NBA's Christmas schedule.
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