If he can play like this consistently, he'll be worth every penny. I like seeing him running off screens and creating his own shot. Beats watching him sit in a corner and wait for the ball.
Yes! I would love to see the aggressiveness we saw tonight on a regular basis. Nic should attack the rim more often and force the defense to deal with it.
...he also seemed to add some offensive moves to his game in terms of creating his own shot off the dribble, especially on those pretty dribble drive & stops that turned into a quick step back fade away jumper.
I just saw the complete package tonight from him. Midrange, coming off screens, drives, threes.... not a lot to complain about.
Amazing how not having Nate's short leash allowed him to work through a pretty rough start to the 3rd quarter for him. In the past we've scene Batum have first quarters like he had last night, but as soon as he'd come out that was pretty much it. He came back at the start of the 3rd and really struggled with his shot and shot selection, but Stotts let him work through it and keep shooting. Quickly Batum ragained confidence and finsished off the second half like he started the first. It was nice to see!
I'd still like to see him create for others. I have no doubt if he takes shots, he can score. 6 times in his career he has had 5 or more assists in a game only. I know it generally just isn't his role, but I want to see moer of that, personally.
It's going to come down to consistency with him. He's always been something of a tease; throwing out the occasional brilliant game, followed by many where he'd just disappear. I'd like to believe he's going to have a more aggressive mentality from here on out with the big contract giving him some sense of validation and entitlement (yeah, you heard me, "entitlement"). This team really needs him to reward the faith they put into him.
Aldridge will have to leave for Batum to develop a #1 option-hard ass-ownership of the floor. I used to think he could be a young Grant Hill, a point forward who could do it all. Hill didn't have to deal with some big lug who won't go inside.
I just think that's so rare for a small forward. I think it's a scoring position, and guys like Scottie Pippen are so rare. It's funny, I was watching moneyball the other night (for the 4th or 5th time) and they were talking about five tool players. They said usually a guy would have two of the five tools, and they would be lucky if they could develop a third. Basketball isn't much different. You want a guy who can shoot, defend, rebound, pass, and drive. Those are, in my mind, the five tools for basketball. There's an x factor though.... potential. The NBA doesn't have an effective farm system like baseball, so guys will get by on potential alone in the NBA. Because of potential, you will see guys with only one of the five tools, especially at the wing positions. How many small forwards have we seen with all five tools? Only Scottie comes to mind. He could do it all. Batum supposedly had two of the five tools. He could shoot and he could defend. I think it's asking a lot if you expect him to also be a good passer, a good rebounder, and a good scorer. I think Batum has the talent to be that kind of player, but does he have the drive? Does he have the killer instinct? We haven't really seen it yet.
