NBA Draft 2014: Dante Exum No.1 Overall? Team Scouts Are 'Falling In Love' With The Aussie Phenom! Could He Go All The Way To The Top Even Without Playing NCAA?

The NBA Draft 2014 is going full throttle. After the selection order has been determined, the actual picks are still a mystery. Now, even the seemingly untouchable Top Three is being penetrated by Dante Exum.

Dante Exum was an under the radar prospect. A 6'6" athletic point guard who can run the floor and shoot as well as compete with most of the World's U19 Players (including some at this draft), he was targeted by teams in the mid-lottery.

He was initially projected as the second best point guard behind Marcus Smart. Both players are tall for their position, but Smart has more experience, even being a candidate for the first overall pick if he declared for the 2013 Draft.

But the more workouts Exum has, the more positive feedback he gets. The projection on him as a 7th pick has progressed into possible top dog status! Will any team gamble on picking him that high despite not having seen him play college ball?

From ESPN:

"He gets to the line at an elite rate. His athletic testing numbers at the NBA draft combine upheld that notion that Exum and Zach LaVine were the quickest guards in this draft. At his size and length, that's a significant factor in his favor

The assist-to-turnover ratio is also impressive. Because he played out of position at the Nike Hoop Summit (Dennis Schroeder, who was drafted 17th overall by the Atlanta Hawks, played point guard in front of him), there has been some question about his ability to play the point only because GMs didn't get to see it in Portland. This should help a bit to ease that concern."

So where will Exum go?

He's not in the mix for the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Irving firmly embedded at the point and more pressing needs at center and the wing, I think we can safely scratch him from going No. 1.

He might be too big a risk given that new ownership just took control of the team (Milwaukee Bucks).

The Philadelphia 76ers are Exum fans as well, and if Wiggins is off the board, Exum will be in the mix. They think Exum and Carter-Williams could play together in the backcourt, although it would not be a very good shooting tandem. I think the more obvious fit comes if they trade Carter-Williams, an idea I'm told they have bounced around.

But I think his best bet is with the Orlando Magic. They need a point guard, and an Exum-Victor Oladipo backcourt could be great. Again, there are shooting concerns, but I think at No. 4, the Magic would roll the dice on him."

Exum had refused tryouts with the Boston Celtics, who will pick no. 6 because he firmly believes he will be taken by then. The Lakers were hoping to move up specifically to draft him, but it seems like he's lost to them already. Exum to Orlando at no.4 is very likely at this point.

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NBA Draft 2014: Dante Exum
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