Australian basketball prodigy Dante Exum's NBA Draft stock is on the rise without the 18-year-old breaking a sweat.
Since announcing on Tuesday he would skip playing for a US college team and go directly into the NBA, the electric combo guard from the Australian Institute of Sport has jumped from the fifth to fourth on ESPN's influential mock draft board.
By the time the draft takes place on June 26, some expect Exum to be the third player selected.
Kentucky power forward Julius Randle was the big loser on ESPN's updated board, with poor play against Louisiana State University on Tuesday adding to concerns he will have trouble against long, athletic defenders in the NBA.
Randle, a former potential number one draft pick, slid from number four to five slot on ESPN's rankings.
"With some of the other top prospects struggling a bit right now, Exum could really capitalise, while he sits at home doing nothing, and move his way back into the top three," ESPN draft expert Chad Ford wrote.
Exum's rise confirms his strategy heading into the draft.
By avoiding the microscope of US college basketball, he can avoid injury and protect his standing with scouts, NBA team executives and draft analysts.
However, to maintain a top five slot he will have to perform at workouts with prospective NBA teams where he will be matched against the US college elite and current NBA players.
ESPN's number one projected draft pick is Kansas 213cm tall Cameroon-born centre Joel Embiid, second is Kansas teammate and shooting guard Andrew Wiggins while Duke shooting forward Jabari Parker is third, although his scoring woes have him on the slide.
Exum, after hosting elite US agents in Sydney the past month, announced this week he selected Kobe Bryant's agent Rob Pelinka to represent him.
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