Exum, the emerging force of Barça

The passing of the months has only ratified that he is one of the best additions to the League in recent years and the confirmation that his status as an emerging talent that accompanied his first steps in the Australian Institute of Sports (where players like Bogut, Ingles, Patty Mills…) and his election as number 5 of the ‘draft’ of 2014 by Utah Jazz They were more than justified.

“It was a challenge for me to come to Europe and I had to go through an adjustment process, because the game here is totally different from the NBA. But the dressing room has welcomed me very well and I think I have adapted well to the team’s systems and to what the coach wants from me” explains the player born in melbourne in a conversation with El Periódico.

For him Barcawhich brought in a first-class player at a price well below the market, has been one of those strokes of luck that happen very occasionally, and his presence could become a determining factor in the fight for the Euroleague , both in the quarterfinal play-offs that the team from Jasikevicius, with home field advantage, opens this Tuesday against Bayern Munichas in a hypothetical ‘final four’ that will host Belgrade from May 19 to 21.

“This is a very competitive group, with people who have been in that position before and who have set the fight for the European title as one of their challenges,” he admits. “I had a small sample of what it means to be here with the Cup title and that motivated me to continue and fight for the titles that we have left & rdquor ;, he says exum, who arrived with a temporary contract until February and decided to extend it until June due to his good harmony with the group and his easy adaptation to Barcelona.

“What best defines him is his personality. He is a great guy, not at all selfish. It is easy to play and communicate with him on and off the court & rdquor ;, says his partner Rockas Jokubaitis. “For us it has been a fantastic signing. A great addition to the team both defensively and offensively”, emphasizes Nick Calathes, who considers him “one of the best finishers in Europe & rdquor ;.

The numbers of exum and his impact on the team have not stopped growing (6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 17 minutes of play), with superb performances like those of the classic a few days ago against Madrid (16 points , 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a PIR of 24), already a fixture in the starting line-up due to his ability to adapt to the three outside positions, both point guard and shooting guard or forward, due to his physical ability as he demonstrated with a spectacular dunk against Poirier in The classic.

“I am having a good time on the track again and although there is always room for improvement, such as in shooting, now I am at the best numbers of my career from the triple and physically I am in a great moment & rdquor ;, he values exum.

“He is a boy ten & rdquor ;, assures the technician Sarunas Jasikevicius, who was the one who most advocated its incorporation. “We were very clear that I had to continue. Now he feels important and goes further. We are happy to have you. Hopefully I can level her up. I think she can give more & rdquor ;, says the Barcelona coach.

“His first step is very difficult to stop. He knows the game well and is not afraid to attack. It is what he has the mentality of going to liquidate the rival in each play and a player who can carry the ball, run, shoot triples or dunk & rdquor ;, the Turkish center praises him Sertac Sanli. “I love playing with him.”

exum landed on the Palau after helping Australia to win a bronze medal in the tokyo games. But that was a turning point in a career marked by several serious injuries that prevented him from consolidating himself in the NBA, as a star intuited.

Before the Rio Games He suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, one of the worst injuries for a player, which caused him to miss his second year in the NBA. He then followed the shoulder in 2017 and the patellar tendon (2019). The balance was 250 games between 2014 and 2021 alone and the jump after five years of the jazz to cleveland (219) and then to houston, where he failed to play. “Injuries are not forgotten. They are part of learning and I will not deny that I have not had my lows, but I always believed in my recovery. I went step by step, setting myself small goals and that is what has made me get here & rdquor ;, he says exumson of a former player, Cecil Exumpartner of Michael Jordan in the university degree he achieved North Carolina in 1982, who has relaunched his career in Barcelona.