Maybe all Danté Exum needed was a change of scenery.

During his time with the Utah Jazz, the Australian’s minutes were often limited; Quin Snyder utilising the shortest of leashes for his young point guard.

Now, after being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Exum appears to be — dare we say it — unleashed. The pressure of winning is gone, so the freedom to be himself is being unveiled.

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On Monday, Exum finished with a new career-high, and did it in an emphatic fashion. He came off the bench for 28 points, to go with three rebounds, and two assists, shooting an efficient 11-of-13 from the field, including 4-of-4 from downtown.

It came in the Cavaliers’ 118-103 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Exum’s efforts on both ends kept his team in the game, even when it looked out of reach. Trailing by as many as 25 points, Exum led a furious third-quarter run, finishing around the rim at the level his draft stock projected, while shooting the ball extremely well — and without hesitation — from beyond the arc.

Early in the fourth quarter, Exum pulled up for a three-pointer from the top of the key to give the Cavaliers a 97-96 lead, capping off a career game, and making sure we had a contest.

Exum was taken out of the game midway through the final period, with the Cavaliers down three points, and their deficit only ballooned more, thanks to a Timberwolves run that put it out of reach.

“I took my shots, I was very efficient, and that’s the shots I can do when I get in there,” Exum said after the loss.

Exum dropped a new career-high.

“I’ve been practicing for a while and definitely the three I’ve (been) working on for a while. Everyone just had a will to win. We saw we weren’t playing too well and we could bring it back.

“I started making shots and everyone felt we could do this. It’s disappointing we couldn’t hang on but it was a good team effort and I feel like we are going in the right direction.”

Gorgui Dieng led the way for the Timberwolves with 22 points, while Shabazz Napier had 21 points for Ryan Saunders’ team.

The Cavaliers are currently in the midst of a Kevin Love-sized drama, so Exum’s outburst was a welcome sign for John Beilein’s team. Collin Sexton finished with 19 points, while Ante Zizic came off the bench for 15 points and 12 rebounds; the Cavaliers dropping to 10-26 on the season.

Exum’s previous career-high was 22 points, which he posted in 2017, during his time with the Jazz.

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Olgun Uluc is the Senior Basketball Reporter for Fox Sports Australia. Twitter: @OlgunUluc