Yeah, I just have a feeling the team was gunshy after Outlaw. But really, Batum has so many more scoring tools to work with. Outlaw had basically the 3 pointer and the one-dribble pull up jumper. When all you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail. So he throws those two shots out there regardlesss of circumstance, and the result is pretty poor efficiency. Batum has those two shots, the dribble drive, the post up, the pass....he's becoming a pretty complete offensive player. He just doesn't use those talents enough. Also, it was a matter of circumstance. When Outlaw came along we had Randolph and a bunch of scrubs. Our best hope was that Outlaw with all his amazing athleticism could become a superstar. (Dark days indeed.) Batum came along in the Roy/Aldridge/Oden era, when all we needed was an uber-role player. That time has clearly passed, and it's time to ask a lot more out of him. Batum doesn't need to be another Brandon Roy, but he's got to set his sights a lot higher than the next Tayshaun Prince.
The path forward for Nic is repetition and a plan that tries to take advantage of his talents. The "Thin Man" comparison is apt and I think completely attainable, but so much of it is going to depend on A) Nic trying to stay aggressive even coming off the bench -- assuming his stint at 2 guard isn't permanent -- which can be tough for a rhythm player who's used to being 4th fiddle in a starting lineup and B) Nate being willing to live with some bumps in the road as Nic acclimates to a new role. I'm somewhat confident in the first and maybe not so much in the second, but we'll see what happens I guess?
A few other stats for the Batum fans: He is currently 14th in the entire league in TS% (.595) and 18th in eFG% (.539). He is 11th in the league in ORtg (116.6) and 14th in WS/48 (.196). For the month of February, he is averaging 18.1 PPG in 32.5 MPG. As a starter (small sample size), he is averaging 21.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 2.3 APG. When he plays 40+ MPG, he averages 22.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 2.0 APG. BNM
I liked how Nate went small against Golden State. Wallace moved to PF and Batum started at SF. I think that's a good line-up. When Aldridge gets back; we should have Camby come off the bench and start Aldridge at center. I think we have Batum able to feed Aldridge on the wing; which should free up Aldridge more. Wallace isn't consistent enough from the perimeter to keep the D honest.
This is the key issue for Nic that will make me change my opinion of him. I think so far he's shown he's pretty limited at this skill. I don't really care what his averages will be given more minutes. If his ability to create his own shots when guarded 1on1 don't improve then my opinion won't really change on him.
I don't think Nic is ever going to be a great one-on-one scorer, so if that's the criteria RoyToy is going to cleave to as whether or not he "changes his mind" about him, I guess he's always going to be a borderline shitty player.
I don't expect him to be a great one-on-one scorer, but I do see the potential to be a very solid number two option. In the past two seasons he's gone from strictly a spot-up feet set jump shooter to someone who can ball fake, take one dribble and pop, to someone who is now putting the ball on the floor and attacking the paint. That's significant progress. Stats be damned. Just watching him now compared to two seasons ago shows how much he's improved - and the stats only back that up. Combine his improved offense with his defense, court awareness and young age and he still has a lot more "upside". I think playing in Europe the past two offseasons has REALLY helped his game. He's had to take a bigger roll on those teams, has played more shooting guard, handled the ball more and played for coaches who see him as more than just a young kid to park in the corner for the kick-out 3. BNM
Coming into the season, I'd have agreed with you on that (though I didn't share your overall low opinion of Batum). This season, he has shown much better ability to do that. If you want to say, "Show it for a longer, sustained period," that's fine. But I think it would be disingenuous to claim that "so far" he's shown himself to be limited, as if this season doesn't count. This season is not enough to conclusively pronounce that he can create plays for himself and others (the measure of offensive impact) long-term, but he has been showing the skill and it's not like a random bolt from the blue...not only is he a young player who's improving at an age where you'd expect improvement, he's also shown similar skills before, either in flashes at the NBA level or more lastingly at the admittedly lower competition level of international basketball. Doing it for Team France isn't the same thing as doing it in the NBA, of course, but it also provides context that suggests that this is not necessarily something to mistrust as random variation.
I agree with Camby that Crawford needs more than 5 shots. The good news is that if they divvy up Felton's attempts there should be more than enough to go around!
Oh, I completely agree, I was just finding it interesting how some people really seem to gravitate to the ability to go mano y mano as the primary test for whether or not a player can be good or even great. Minus a few quibbles with his motor and level of aggression, I find his game eminently watchable and mostly expect good things to happen when he's on the floor. He just strikes me as the kind of kid that needs time on the court and a consistent plan for development to help him reach his potential by using him in ways that cater to his strengths (post-entry passing, shooting, defense, posting up, etc.) vs. the "go stand in the corner and shoot" offense that Nate prefers for his small forwards. That aint gonna get it done.
So, how much of Batum's improvement do you think has come from playing in Europe the past two seasons vs. how much has comes from playing for Nate. Personally, I think it almost ALL comes from playing in Europe, where he's given a bigger role and expected to contribute more. Nate needs to take that same approach. How can the kid improve if you don't challenge him to try new things? Maybe, that's the silver lining to how bad our guards suck this season. Maybe Nate will be forced to play Batum at the 2, which will create new, different opportunities and challenges for him. BNM
Update: Batum has moved into the top 20 (19th) in 3FG Made at 52. He is currently 13th in the entire league in TS% (.598) and 15th in eFG% (.549). He is 9th in the league in ORtg (116.5) and 12th in WS/48 (.199). For the month of February, he is averaging 18.7 PPG in 33.4 MPG. As a starter (small sample size), he is averaging 21.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 1.6 APG. When he plays 40+ MPG, he averages 22.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 2.0 APG. He also has as many BLK (13) and more STL (16) in 9 games in February than he did in 18 games in January. BNM
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