There was an interesting debate going on in the game thread about Nic's performance last night. Some were unhappy with his shooting and his turnovers. Honestly, I completely agree that some of those passes were just mind boggling, BUT I am encouraged. Since day one some of the people on here have compared Nic to Scottie Pippen, and I didn't see it because Pip had one of the best all-around games in the history of the NBA. Batum is starting to get there. Did he shoot poorly? Yes. Did he make some bad passes? Yes. But he also made some damn good passes. He's looking for his teammates, he's rebounding the ball, he's playing defense, and he's doing more than just shooting threes. I think Stotts has really gotten to him in a way that Nate McMillan never did. Nate always had him sitting in a corner waiting for the ball, while Stotts has encouraged him to do other things and expand his game. I am very encouraged by how Nic is playing this season. Points are important, but what he has been providing is so much more valuable to the team. Last night he had 9 boards, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 13 points. Normally he'd add one or two blocks to that line. I think Nic is a legit threat to put up a triple double on any given night. That's special.
I think so. It's pretty clear Batum has a green light. That's something Nate never gave him. With each game that "green light" is vastly improving his confidence.
I said either in pre-season, or VERY early on, I wasn't too concerned about his scoring. While it was nice, I always knew he could get hot and score 30 points on any given night. What I wanted to see was more playmaking and more playmaking responsibilities. He's averaging a career high 3.8 assists per game, and is over 5 in December. That little side of the lane pick and roll he has working with Hickson has been great, and probably where he gets a big chunk of his assists. It's the one aspect of his game I really wanted to see improve, and it has, considerably. So last night, he had a poor shooting night, had turnovers, but sitting at the game, I wasn't concerned about those as much as I was pleased with his passing overall. His AST% is over double his previous career high.
Nate didn't just 'not develop' Batum, IMO he hindered him. Nico was born for the kind of all around game he's been playing, especially racking up the assists. Despite a few missed shots and some dicey passes, no way we win last night without Batum -- and Lillard and Hickson and LaMarcus. But I'm sure each of them 'sucked ass' in someone's eyes. C'est la vie.
I'm encouraged. I didn't get to watch the game, so I can't comment on last night specifically, but I truly believe that the best way to get better at something is to experiment and push your boundaries to the edge (and beyond) your comfort zone. Perhaps Nic ought not to play on the bleeding edge of his capabilities, but the only way to find out is to push himself. If he's still making boneheaded passes and doing more harm than good a year from now playing like this, then maybe he should pull back, but for now -- especially in a "rebuilding" year like this one -- he should be trying to grow himself as a player. In the end I think I'm happier to watch aggressive but sloppy Nic over passive and safe Nic.
I just think it's funny because everyone is willing to give Dame a pass on TOs, but Nic is starting to add some playmaking to his game and he gets ridiculed for making TOs.
Some of the all time great assist guys are up there with turnovers too. You have to take chances. Overall it makes your teammates better.
He was horrible last night! He played better in the 2nd half, but overall it was a bad game for him. His 1st 4 TO's were absolutely cover your eyes stupid! Hey I love the guy, but let's call a spade a spade.
Batum is a renaissance man; he can give you some scoring, with shots from anywhere, he can get you some defense with steals and good lateral movement. He can recover a fast break with amazing blocks. He manages to get some essential rebounds in crunch time. He's a little wild and turns the ball over trying to get cute sometimes, but for all he gives you, the turnovers are well worth it. Even his "bad" games are starting to fill up the stat columns now. He's like our Ichiro.
