Dante Exum wants to be a leader of the Utah Jazz

Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Dante Exum (Australia) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number five overall pick to the Utah Jazz in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The Utah Jazz were upset about missing out on a top-four pick.

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Picking fifth meant the Jazz would miss out one of the supposed four elite prospects in Thursday nights’s draft – former Kansas Jayhawks’ swingman Andrew Wiggins, his college teammate, center Joel Embiid, former Duke Blue Devils’ forward Jabari Parker and Australian point guard Dante Exum.

However, when the Orlando Magic opted to go with former Arizona Wildcats’ forward Aaron Gordon instead of Exum, the Jazz must have been pleased with the way things went.

According to Jody Genessy of The Desert News, Exum wants to be a leader of the Jazz.

"“I just want to come in and try to help be a leader of the team,” Exum said during an interview from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. “I know I’m young, but I want to come in and establish that. As a point guard, (I’ll) try and be that guy people can turn to and rely on.”Incidentally, one of the first people to congratulate Exum and welcome him to the Jazz organization was Utah point guard Trey Burke, who was a guest of honor at the draft.“I think the exciting thing about Dante specifically is he has the speed to play guard, he has the size and length to play wing,” Lindsey said. “We’ll let nature take its course. … He’s coming in behind two great guards (in) Burke and (Alec) Burks. I think in time he’ll be a good contributor."

Exum measured in at 6’6 and 196 lbs. with a wingspan of 6’9.5 at the NBA’s Scouting Combine. Exum is ranked by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express as the fifth-best prospect in the draft

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