If you think this is going to be a Nic Batum “slam-fest”…you’re right.
I’m tired. Tired of waiting for the blossoming All-Star this organization gambled on two-and-a-half years ago, to become the player he said he wanted to be and the Portland Trail Blazers and their fans hoped he would become.
The player who no-longer wanted to stand in the corner and shoot 3’s, but rather spend “more time breaking down defenders off the dribble and getting to the rim.” The player whose length, ability to defend, and score both inside and out had him being compared to a young Scottie Pippen. And the player whose potential led the Minnesota Timberwolves to offer him nearly $50 million over 4 years, and the Trail Blazers to match. He was viewed as a vital cog to championship construction, and due to such worth the gamble for a franchise betting valuable cap space on a swing they couldn’t afford to miss.
In an NBA era littered with franchises hamstrung by bad contracts, Batum is far from the worst, but with every passing mediocre year, the not-so-young-anymore Frenchman is looking much more like a swing-and-miss, than the home run they thought he would become.
This season, his numbers are down from career numbers few would glance twice at to begin with. Through 6 NBA seasons, Batum has averaged 11.3 points, 2.9 assists, and 5 rebounds per game. This year, 8.9 points, 4.7 assists, and 5.5 boards. In addition, he’s shooting 37% from the field and 27% from behind the arc, opposed to the 36% and 45% he’s averaged since he entered the NBA in 2008. These are not shameful numbers for an average starting small forward, but for the 2nd highest paid player on a team trying to make a championship push, it’s been disappointing, harmful and detrimental to the present and future of a franchise needing more from an $11.5 million cap hit.
Yes, Batum is playing hurt and his fans would argue his wrist is to blame for the aforementioned declining numbers. But, after a little crack research on my part I discovered prior to the wrist injury, “Frenchy” was averaging 8.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. Following the injury: 9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. In addition, his field goal percentages prior to injury: 38% and 24% from 3-point range. After the injury: 38% and 31% from 3-point range. Strangely similar for a player “hampered by injury,” and far too similar for proponents of Nicolas to cite as a legitimate reason for decline.
If Nic were making 5 or 6 million a year, I’d think little of it. After all, he offers a little of everything ranging from points, rebounds, and assists, to steals, blocks, and a slightly above average ability to guard quality players on the perimeter. But at $11.5 million a year, he needs to contribute more, do so on a more consistent basis, and show me some level of improvement year-to-year.
When was the last time you saw something new in Batum’s game? As far as I can tell, he’s been the same player for the better part of 4 years.
How about a back-to-the-basket game? How about the ability to hit a medium range jump shot off of a pick-and-roll? And how about some of that “breaking down defenders off the dribble and getting to the rim” business he spoke so glowingly about when he was desperately trying to get to Minnesota 3 summers ago? For a guy his size, with his level of athleticism, who allegedly wants and has the ability to get to the rim against the majority of guys checking him, he averages less than 3 free throw attempts per game.
Let me repeat that: He gets to the line less than 3 times a game! Unacceptable for anyone with his gifts, and even less acceptable for a guy making nearly twice as much as all but one player on his team.
Nic Batum is a quality NBA player, but he isn’t and hasn’t played like a guy making what he makes. When Portland signed him nearly 3 seasons ago, I suspect they envisioned an improving player approaching an all-star level, rather than the underachieving also-ran the 7-year veteran has become. He wasn’t then and isn’t now worth the $11.5 million he makes, and has yet to become the guy they thought was worth the money they gambled their future cap flexibility on almost 3 years ago.
Yes, I’m hard on the Blazer forward, not because of anything personal, but rather due to what he isn’t to the team now, in addition to what he will be over the next couple of years if he fails to meet the expectations of his contract…a liability.
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