So I'm just curious, if Nic averaged something like 10 points, 5 assists, and 8 boards for the season. Would you be unhappy?
He'd have to play amazing defense. Last I checked, Nic doesn't play amazing defense. And no, 10pts isn't anywhere near enough. With the lack of scorers on this team there's no reason for him not to average at least 15ppg.
The rebounds don't matter to me as much because they're essentially zero sum. There are only so many to go around, but the assists equate out to more points. If he averaged 5 assists per night, that's ten more points that he helped contribute to the Blazers total. How many small forwards average 5 or more assists per game? I don't care as much about his scoring anymore. We have Lillard, we have Aldridge, and hopefully Matthews will find his stroke again. I like that Batum fills box scores.
I would be pretty fucking pissed, unless Lillard and Aldridge are both scoring over 25. There is absolutely no reason for batum to score +14.
You guys seem so fixated on buckets. Assists equal points. If Batum hands out 7 assists tonight, but only scores 10, he still contributed to 24 total points in the Blazers total score. Assists = points I would rather Nic take high percentage shots and play within the offense. Could he be more aggressive? Yes, but the guy does so much more than score points. He passes, he rebounds, he blocks shots, he gets steals. The game isn't just about scoring buckets.
Then he shouldn't be making $11M per year. At that point he's hurting the team by not producing enough. Again, no reason for Nic not to average at least 15ppg.
So by your rationale, the only thing that matters is ppg. Either he gets his ppg up to 15, or he isn't worth 11 million, is that right?
Points per game isn't the only thing that matters, but given the paucity of scoring options outside of LaMarcus and Lillard, this team definitely needs more from Nico.
It's a part of it, yes. $11M per year. Of course I expect scoring to go with other aspects of his game. Olshey is paying him to be a big time contributor.
The huge gaping hole right now is Wes. I have a very hard time complaining about the guy who grabbed 13 boards, handed out 4 assists, and notched a steal and a block. The whole point of the shooting guard is to score points, and Wes has not been getting it done since the beginning of the preseason.
It's a part of it, but you're saying that 15 ppg is more important to you than 10 ppg, 5 assists, and 8 boards. I would like to see him score more, but I also recognize that he's contributing in other ways.
We only had 13 turnovers for the game, so turnovers were not a problem. Guys like Nash and Kidd always led the league in turnovers. When you handle the ball, you have turnovers. Part of the game.
Wes: 3-9, 9pts/7reb/4asts/1 TO Nic: 3-9, 7pts/13rebs/4asts/4 TO Both were burned on defense all night.
Problem... He isn't shooting a high % last season and not that good this season so far. But honestly, it's not about buckets. It's about team buckets. Like I said, if Aldridge and Lillard are averaging +25 each, then batum's scoring wouldn't be such an issue. But realistically, maybe +21.
He has been putting up more rebounds and assists and less scoring. I asked if you would be okay with 10 ppg, 5 assists, 8 boards. He isn't going to average 15 ppg, 5 assists, and 8 boards. How many people in the league are actually capable of that? Chris Paul? LeBron? My point is, would it be acceptable if he had less scoring, but higher boards and assists. For you, obviously it would not be okay. For me, I'm fine with it as long as he shoots a decent percentage, which last night he did not.
The problem with Nic's assist numbers? He passes up open shots to get them. His assist numbers are inflated because he's so damn passive. He's not actually being this great creator on offense, he's just turning down shots he should be taking.
The problem right now is that we can't have both Wes and Nic sucking at scoring the ball. They both shot 3-9 from the field last night. Paired with our shitty bench play, we just didn't have enough scoring to beat Phoenix. I'm fine with Nic scoring less if he's going to contribute in other ways, but Wes needs to step up.
