As the NBA Draft approaches, a number of rumors will continue to surface about which team wants which player. Dante Exum has been at the center of a number of rumors for weeks now.
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Many believe Exum is trying to force his way to the Lakers. Exum, however, refuted those rumors at the NBA Pre-Draft Combine today. But he has talked to Kobe Bryant who, according to the LA Daily News’ Mark Medina, had some advice for the Australian phenom:
Dante Exum on Kobe's advice: "'There will be a lot of distractions off the court. It’s about how you handle those and focus on the court'"
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) May 15, 2014
Exum is one of the most unknown prospects in the draft, but his physical tools are tantalizing to a number of teams, and he will almost definitely be selected in the top-5 of the draft.
With the Lakers in need of a point guard and possibly possessing a top-3 pick, it makes sense that they would be interested in someone of his caliber. But talking to Bryant himself is a different matter.
Bryant knows what its like to come in the NBA as a fresh-faced teenager. Exum has never experienced the type of non-stop media coverage that he will receive in the NBA, especially if he joins the Lakers.
It can become easy for someone to get caught up in the bright lights and superstar lifestyle of the NBA. Bryant is trying to teach the young kid to keep his focus. Perhaps he will have a lot of time to pick Bryant’s brain about life in the NBA, but only if he gets drafted to the Lakers.
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MY NBA DRAFT.COM PROFILE: DANTE EXUM