DANTE EXUM (Dallas Mavericks)

Exum, the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, had everything he needed to be a solid role player in the NBA.

He had the defensive instincts. He had the playmaking skills. He had the length and versatility. All that was missing was a consistent jumper.

He may have just found it and in the process unlocked the enormous ceiling that saw him taken early in the draft by the Utah Jazz all those years ago.

Development in the NBA — and any sport — is not a linear process.

Exum’s recent resurgence is proof of it, having headed overseas after a string of unfortunate injuries derailed the early stages of his career in the NBA.

After two years in Europe, Exum is back in the league and thriving. He is also doing so on a two-year, $6.2 million deal — a contract which is quickly proving a bargain for Dallas.

Only the first year is guaranteed but if Exum even puts up half the production he had on Wednesday against the Lakers he won’t be leaving the Mavericks anytime soon.

Exum made a career-high seven 3-pointers in a 26-point explosion against Los Angeles to improve Dallas’ record to 4-0 with the Australian in the starting line-up.

“He’s playing at a high level right now on both ends,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said post-game.

“With the injuries, it’s given him confidence and you can see that, not just shooting the 3s but attacking the basket there in the first quarter getting that layup, not just settling.”

Exum is currently in the five for the injured Kyrie Irving (right foot), although he could have very well played himself into a permanent starting spot even when the superstar guard returns given the way he is performing.

“He’s on one right now, Dante Exum,” ESPN journalist Zach Lowe said on NBA Today.

“He’s making a case to start when the Mavs are healthy and if he can hit enough 3s, he’s not going to shoot 7-for-9 every game, but if he can hit 40 per cent from the corners he’s big, he’s rangy, he can kind of make those connecting passes.

“They might have something cooking here.”

Either way, Exum will certainly see more minutes when Irving returns given the value he is offering Dallas on both ends.

“We’ve talked about how his IQ is extremely high,” added Kidd.

“He knows how to play the right way. Luka (Doncic) or Kai (Kyrie Irving) or whomever he’s out there with, those guys trust him and you saw that with Luka.

“Luka probably has to lead the league in double teams. He’s been double-teamed for a majority of the game. His trust with his teammates, if it’s not Timmy [Hardaway Jr.], it’s Exum.

“… You trust that the guys are going to make the right play or take the shot. Tonight, Exum was the one he was looking for.”

And Exum consistently made his shots, with Doncic describing the Australian’s performance as “amazing”.

“His plays, his defence, and obviously his shooting today. He has been amazing for us,” added the Slovenian.

The shooting has not always been there for Exum, which is why the Lakers and other teams have played their five on him and sagged off daring the 28-year-old to shoot the ball.

So, Exum worked. And worked some more, until he was confident in his shot even if the buckets weren’t always falling.

“The guy goes into the gym two hours before practice with our shooting coaches getting extra reps up every single day,” Tim Hardaway Jr. said post-game.

“That is just credit to his work. He has calmed down, he is knocking down his shot and shooting with confidence. That is what we need.”

Josh Giddey has seen similar treatment from opposition defences and the way Exum rebounded on Wednesday is proof that sometimes patience is all that is needed.

“I think it started in L.A and then a lot of teams started to put their five on me,” Exum said.

“So, ever since then I have been in the gym working. 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. I think how Luka plays and he can find anyone at any point. Knowing guys are going to help off to double him, and I have to be ready. I try to put myself in the 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.”

JOSH GIDDEY (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Giddey already has plenty going on off the court, with the NBA still investigating the Australian over allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

On the court though there are issues for the 21-year-old too, who has seen his minutes reduced this season and has been particularly absent in crunch time for the Thunder.

A loss of playing time was always on the cards for Giddey, not so much because of his own poor play, but because of the depth of young talent Oklahoma City is starting to put together.

Both Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams have quickly emerged as key parts of the Thunder offence while even rookie Cason Wallace continues to push for a larger role.

Giddey, on the other hand, has regressed from his sophomore season as he struggles to consistently find his rhythm on offence without a consistent jumper.

That, in turn, has seen opposition defences start to not just put their centre on him but give Giddey plenty of space to operate with too, daring him to shoot the ball.

“I was talking to him about it this morning and he’s like, ‘It’s the first time I’ve gotten played like that,’ which I think is an important point,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said last week.

“He’s been here for two years and I look at it as a compliment to our offence that we’re seeing that now.”

While there have been some suggestions Giddey could move back to the bench to help run the second unit, coach Daigneault does not sound too concerned just yet.

That doesn’t mean he is naive to the issue though. In fact, as Daigneault later pointed out, OKC has experimented more with Giddey playing alongside the second unit even if he does start the game.

It is all part of the Thunder trying to find out what pieces fit where in a young team that still has its best basketball ahead.

The only issue is that OKC is playing well enough right now that there is some level of urgency. But again, Daigneault is not losing sight of the bigger picture.

“We need to develop the solutions, but I look at the fact that three out of our last four opponents have gone to something that’s totally unconventional for them as a compliment to our offence, our base offence and just a challenge for us now that we have to evolve,” he said.

“I don’t want the emotion of the moment to get in the way of the perspective that this is a process we’re going through right now. It’s the first time that we’ve had a good enough offence probably, collectively, that we’re seeing the kitchen sink. And now that we’re seeing the kitchen sink, we have to calibrate, we have to improve.”

Daigneault also went on to add that given this is all new for Giddey, it is important the Thunder gives him time to first “see” what is being thrown at him and then try “calibrate it”.

As for any immediate adjustments, Daigneault had one request for Giddey.

“The only thing I said to him today which is important is that he plays on the catch,” he said.

“I think the quicker you play against that stuff the harder it is for teams to calibrate. But if you’re fast on the catch, if you either shoot it or move it quickly, teams can’t size it up in the middle of the possession.

“There were a couple last night where he seemed indecisive and the biggest thing [is] we’re fine with him shooting open 3s, those are good shots. If he shoots it, shoot it. If not, move it quickly so we can maintain that advantage.”

BEN SIMMONS (Brooklyn Nets)

There are not any significant updates to report on the injury front as Simmons recovers from a nerve impingement in his back.

Although Simmons, who has not played since early November, has entered the next phase of his rehabilitation and is looking at a return in a “matter of days to weeks, as opposed to weeks to months” according to his agent Bernie Lee.

“He’s been doing well, slowly taking steps. He’s starting to move around a little bit now. He’s starting to be able to run on some underwater treadmill stuff. So he’s starting to get around and move,” Lee added in an interview with The New York Post.

In the meantime though, former Sixers teammate Joel Embiid had some interesting comments about Simmons when speaking about the Australian on Tyrese Maxey’s podcast.

Embiid’s relationship with Simmons was the source of much media speculation during this time at Philadelphia.

Of particular emphasis was Embiid’s comments after a 4-1 playoffs series loss to the Hawks, where he described the moment Simmons passed up an open dunk as a “turning point” in the game.

Embiid also said in the wake of Simmons’ trade to Brooklyn that it was “unfortunate” that winning was “not the biggest factor” for the three-time All-Star.

“It’s unfortunate that for him having his own team and, I guess, being a star was more his priorities,” Embiid added at the time.
Now though, speaking on Maxey’s podcast, Embiid leapt to Simmons’ defence, declaring he “never” thought the Australian actually needed to be much of an outside shooting threat to succeed.

In fact, Embiid went as far as to say Simmons was “the one that got away”.

“I’ve always been one of those people that didn’t believe that he didn’t actually need a jumper,” Embiid said.

“He was so good, he’s just a monster, physically. Like someone who’s freaking [6-foot-11], just running up and down the floor faster than whatever, almost as fast as [Maxey].

“Think about it, 6-11, freaking jumping hard, guarding one-through-five, like a freaking monster.

“So I never believed that he actually needed the jumper, I just believed that if he could find a way to get his free throw [percentage] to 75, 80 percent, that would have changed everything.

“Because if you think about it, if you believe that he could make shots, what would he do? He would keep attacking, attacking, attacking, and never stopping. And then what would the defence have to do? He was already such a great playmaker, making the guy, the game, easy for everybody else.

“I think that’s the perfect match … I think that’s the one that got away. I just hate the fact that the way things happened.”

PATTY MILLS (Atlanta Hawks)

The ultimate professional or, as Hawks coach Quin Snyder put it, “the epitome of stay ready”.

And Mills has had to stay ready, only seeing 22 minutes of action so far for Atlanta.

Five of those minutes came in garbage time as the Hawks breezed past the Wizards.

Against the 76ers last week though Mills saw a more prominent role, playing 17 minutes as he scored three points to go with two assists, one rebound, a block and a steal.

“I think that’s who he’s been as far as the way that he plays,” Snyder said post-game.

“He puts a stamp on the game with his defence, with his activity, his energy, his voice. He’s the epitome of stay ready. He hasn’t been playing and then obviously gets an opportunity tonight.

“I thought that group changed the game when they came in the first quarter at the end there and really gave us a boost… it’s not easy to play against Patrick Beverly pressuring you 90 feet. But that’s what Patty’s done. I just have tremendous respect for him as a player and it is also reflective of who he is as a person and as a teammate.”

As for why Mills isn’t seeing more minutes, it is a simple case of the Hawks having plenty of youth depth at the guard position.

In other words, Mills isn’t needed at the moment. But if injuries strike or his name is called, you can guarantee the 35-year-old will be ready.

JOSH GREEN (Dallas Mavericks)

While Exum is thriving with more playing time at Dallas, Irving’s injury is a missed opportunity for Green, who is dealing with his own injury setback.

Green played some of his best games for the Mavericks last season when either Irving or Doncic was sidelined, scoring 20 or more points in three consecutive weeks for the first time in his career.

Green is currently sidelined with a sprain in his right elbow and is expected to miss multiple weeks according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

DYSON DANIELS (New Orleans Pelicans)

Daniels took full advantage of a string of injuries to Pelicans starters earlier in the season, earning a prominent role and playing some of the best basketball of his young career.

It was always inevitable though that the returns of C.J. McCollum and Trey Murphy III would see Daniels’ minutes take a hit.

Daniels only saw six minutes in a 127-117 win over Sacramento but that proved to be an outlier for the young guard, who has clearly earned some level of trust from the coaching staff.

Daniels went on to get 17 and 28 minutes in games against the Lakers and Timberwolves before being inserted back into the starting line-up after Zion Williamson went down injured.

Williamson (ankle) is considered day-to-day so Daniels could see a few more starting appearances before the end of the month.

Daniels only played 16 minutes against the Wizards, although it ended up being a blowout victory for the Pelicans anyway as they ran out 142-122 winners.

JOCK LANDALE (Houston Rockets)

Landale has seen limited playing time for Houston, not figuring in the Rockets’ big-man rotation in five of their past five games, missing two with an illness.

The former Suns centre did eventually get some minutes against the Grizzlies, seeing at least 10 minutes of action for just the second game in his last nine appearances.

As a whole though Landale is unlikely to see any significant playing time without an injury to starting big man Alperen Sengun

Landale is on a four-year, $32 million contract but has no guaranteed money after this season, giving Houston flexibility to move off him should the Australian fail to make an impact.

JOE INGLES (Orlando Magic)

At 36 years old, Ingles continues to prove age is just a number. The same goes for this young Orlando squad, which as a whole is playing with a maturity and poise beyond its years.

Usually a team like the Magic would struggle with consistency, flashing their enormous ceiling and then following up those high games with agonising lows that proved just how far they have to go.

Instead, this Magic team has quickly figured out its identity and sits second in the Eastern Conference with a 16-7 record alongside Ingles’ former team Milwaukee.

Ingles is playing a slightly different role with Orlando but it is the same idea in the sense that he has worked hard to find the balance between initiating and facilitating the offence.

It is one of many points Ingles touched on in a recent interview with CBS Sports, where he spoke about his comeback from a torn ACL and what he has learned playing with the Magic.

“The good thing is we do have a young group, and it’s different to what I’ve been around, but it’s a nice change, too,” Ingles said.

“It’s fun. I’m the oldest by a mile, but it feels like the energy is there every day.”

Ingles signed a two-year, $22 million contract (second year not guaranteed) with Orlando and said his recent deal is a good reminder of the important function role players have in even the best, star-studded NBA teams.

“That first team I was with, with Gordon [Hayward] and Rudy [Gobert] and Derrick Favors, for me it was about perfecting that role of helping those guys,” Ingles said.

“And then you go to another team, and with Milwaukee last year it was like play with Giannis, play with these guys and try to help them. And I think the more players can realise, like, you can make so much money being a good role player.”

Ingles is coming off a standout game against the Cavaliers where he had 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and one block.

Ingles did briefly exit the game with an ankle injury but later returned.

MATISSE THYBULLE (Portland Trail Blazers)

Thybulle already was of plenty of value to this young Portland line-up as the team’s best perimeter defender but now he has really starting to make progress with his jumper.

The 26-year-old has at least two 3-pointers in his last five games and just as importantly has been an efficient outside shooter too, going 3-for-5 from deep in his last three.

Thybulle is now shooting at a career-high 42.4 per cent from 3-point land and still maintaining the same level of impact on defence, with nine steals and four blocks in his last five games.

He is a solid piece with room for plenty more growth with the way he is shooting right now.

DUOP REATH (Portland Trail Blazers)

Like Thybulle, Reath is also really starting to prove himself after a season-ending injury to Robert Williams III left Portland in need of big-man depth.

Reath has offered that and more, shooting well enough from downtown to earn the respect of opposition defences.

When he isn’t shooting himself Reath is also making an impact off the ball as an active screener, opening up shots for his teammates.

Reath is currently averaging 7.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game this season while he has seen a steady increase in minutes during his last three games.