As Dante Exum prepares to make a decision on his basketball future, former NBA top pick Andrew Bogut has suggested the "smart" decision would be for him to turn professional next season.

Exum, competing at the Australian Schools Championships in Melbourne, must decide by early next year whether to nominate for the NBA draft or spend at least one year at college developing his game.

Dante Exum is in big demand in the US, on the college scene and in the NBA. Credit:Eddie Jim

Bogut, the Australian centre who had two years at the University of Utah before being taken as the No.1 pick by the Milwaukee Bucks, said on Tuesday Exum should nominate for the June draft.

"He’s a projected top five pick and he could go to college and risk getting hurt. You’re also under the pressure of the scouts, they start to nitpick a little bit, so it could hurt your spot as well,” Bogut, now with the Golden State Warriors, said on SEN.