Dante Exum addresses his future with Barcelona, EuroLeague's popularity in Australia / News - Basketnews.com

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Dante Exum's EuroLeague rookie year looks like a rollercoaster ride.

Points this season

49%81,4Points made:81,4Accuracy:49,1%Place in standings:3Record max:111Record min:52Best scorer:Nikola MiroticTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The Australian forward, who joined FC Barcelona in November 2021 and debuted with the Catalan side in the Spanish derby against Real Madrid on December 10, will need to put his elite athleticism to good use on Thursday night when the two teams lock horns again.

Barcelona have beaten their main rivals five straight times, but this one could be the most important of all their clashes so far in the season.

"Obviously, it's a big game because we're in the EuroLeague Final Four. We're preparing ourselves the same way we've been doing all year long," Exum told BasketNews during Barcelona's media availability ahead of the semi-final game.

"It's going to be a hard-fought game. We know them very well and so do they. I don't even know how many times we've played them this season, but I feel like there's been many. We're going to play them a lot more times, too," he said.

Exum, 26, needed five games to score in double-digits with the Catalan powerhouse and almost two months of adjustment to showcase his talent.

Once he got going, the No.5 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft was unstoppable. After scoring two points against Los Blancos on his debut, he tallied another 29 overall in the next two derbies. From February onwards, Exum has been a different player compared to his humble beginnings.

"It's a lot of things. The style of game in Europe is different," the former Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets player explained.

"Obviously, playing with eleven other guys you have never played before, a different language... It's the whole nine yards. Just do your best to communicate. Language is basketball, you just go out and play your game."

Dante Exum

MIN:17.07PTS:6.39 (64.23%)REB:2.61As:1.7ST:0.52BL:0.3TO:0.96GM:23ProfileEuroLeague2021/2022

Since coach Sarunas Jasikevicius ruled Exum questionable for the Final Four, the Aussie forward has returned to action. He registered 13 points and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes of play against Manresa in the ACB League.

"I'm feeling really good. I'm ready to get on the court, smell the gym and see what it's like out there," he commented.

Following one of his spectacular dunks, Saras called Exum "the most explosive player" he has ever coached.

Exum himself acknowledges that his season "has been good, although with many ups and downs," adding that he's "taking it one game at a time."

On Wednesday morning, Nikola Mirotic received the EuroLeague season MVP award. It was a rather predictable outcome, since the Montenegrin forward had been by fat the best performer on the competition's regular season winning team.

Asked about what made his teammate the MVP, Exum replied: "You've seen it on the court. He's a great player and teammate."

But Mirotic's scoring prowess is only one facet of his versatile game, according to Exum.

"He's a natural scorer and shooter, who also gets his teammates involved. There's been countless of times when he tried to call a play for me. He scores to win. That's the best characteristic he has," he stressed.

If Barcelona go all the way and win EuroLeague, Exum will become the fourth Australian player to achieve that feat, succeeding three-time champ David Andersen, Aleks Maric and his close friend Joe Ingles. In fact, the Portland Trail Blazers' sharpshooter, who won the trophy with Maccabi Tel Aviv back in 2014, has already talked to Exum about how it's like playing in a EuroLeague Final Four.

"I've talked to him a lot. He told me that the important thing is to treat it like any other game, go out and sacrifice ourselves."

At first, Dante Exum had signed a three-month deal with Barca. His intentions was clear - test the NBA waters as soon as his contract would expire. However, after another three months have come to pass, he seems to be keeping all of his options open.

"I think the main thing for me right now is to focus on the Final Four," he said.

"I know this is one of the reasons why they signed me. I wanted to come here and win the EuroLeague, so that's the main thing I'm focusing on right now. We will figure out all the other stuff later."

In spite of the EuroLeague Final Four being a big event in Europe, in Australia things are different. The NBA is the only brand of basketball popular across the country and the continent, but Exum thinks that his presence in Europe can bring more attention to the competition.

"It's something that has started to catch on a bit more. Hopefully, me being over here is going to give it more visibility. I wasn't actually watching EuroLeague in Australia, but I know a lot of people are watching me back home."

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