The Portland Trail Blazers acquired a young, lanky, athletic, Frenchman from the Houston Rockets in the 2008 NBA Draft. For the rights to the #25 pick of the first round the Blazers had to trade away the draft rights of Darrell Arthur and Joey Dorsey. The player that the team acquired was Nicolas Batum.
Batum, who had played professional basketball in France before coming to the NBA, was still very unproven and raw. Watching the athletic defender round into form in Portland has been something to see. He has improved his game each and every year.
Consistency and effort have been called into question for Batum throughout his career. His defense has been what he has made his trademark. Batum is very athletic and can stay in front of even the quickest offensive players in the league. He is also extremely long and has a wingspan that cause major issues in the passing lanes.
Portland fans definitely know who Batum is, especially after he signed his 4-year, $46 million dollar contact in 2012. My question is, do NBA fans in general know who Batum is? I think the avid fans are really starting to notice.
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Here in Portland, a lot of attention has been paid to Damian Lillard this summer, and for good reason. Lillard nearly missed making the Team USA 12-man roster for this summer’s FIBA World Cup of Basketball.
Across the pond, Batum was lying in wait, ready to lead the French team in the international games.
The French National Team has been elevating their game with each contest they find themselves in. In 2012, the team was very competitive in the Olympic Games. In 2013, the French team were the champions of the FIBA EuroBasket Tournament. They had some sneaky momentum coming into the World Cup of Basketball.
Fast forward 7 games into the World Cup. Batum is playing average basketball but not really propelling France. Then the semi-final game against Spain turned everything around.
In a lot of people’s minds, Spain was the favorites to win the World Cup. The host nation had probably the most talented group of big men, including the Gasol brothers. But like so many other times in sports, the outright favorites tend to have the toughest road, as they get the best effort from each opponent. That is just what Spain got from Batum and France.
Spain was knocked off in the quarterfinal by the underrated French team. Batum put up a modest statline of 9 points and 4 rebounds.
The excitement of the win must have awakened something in Batum.
During the semi-final against Serbia, France fell behind and was trying to stay close in a game they weren’t supposed to be in in the first place. France fell behind in the first half and trailed by 8 at halftime. The second half was another story. Batum put his team on his back and carried them.
Despite falling just short in the semifinal game, Batum showed the world that he is much more than a defender. He showed that he is a leader and capable of being an offensive game-changer.
Batum’s statline in the semifinal was a much more impressive 35 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. All of that with an efficiency rating of +32.
That performance caught the attention of basketball fans worldwide.
Less than 24 hours later, Batum led France in the Bronze medal game. A team that had few expectations coming into the tournament was now in reach of a medal.
Within reach of the Bronze medal, Batum had another marvelous performance. 27 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals. The most important fact of the game was that France won and took home the medal.
Within 24 hours Batum scored 62 points and helped France win the Bronze medal.
The medal wasn’t the only accomplishment Batum took home from Spain. Batum was also named to the All-Tournament All-Star team. Alongside Kyrie Irving, Milos Teodosic, Kenneth Faried, and Pau Gasol, Batum shared the pleasure of being recognized as being the best players in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
Not a bad was to end the summer for Batum. If NBA fans haven’t started to notice Batum, international fans certainly have.
What’s next for Batum? He will join his Trail Blazer teammates in Portland for the start of training camp in a couple weeks. The expectations continue to rise for this team. A lot of the success of the Blazers may be dependent on whether or not Batum can elevate his game and become a better-rounded and consistent basketball player.
Let’s hope to see that Batum’s international coming-out party can translate to a banner year in the NBA.
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