Nicolas Batum Bouncing Back? Encouraging Signs
On Sunday night against the New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum notched his highest scoring game of the season. He poured in 17 points on 6-8 shooting, including 5-7 from deep. Seeing as how Batum’s early season struggles have been well documented, this is an encouraging development for him.
In fact, over his last four games (against the Pelicans, Rockets, 76ers, and Knicks), Batum is averaging 11 points per game, on a combined 17-27 shooting (a scorching 63%). While four games does not make or break a season, this is quite the promising trend compared to his previous performances.
Consider, for example, the four games before this recent stretch – against the Bulls, Pacers, Spurs, and Bucks. During those games, Batum shot only a combined 15-42 (35.7%). He has always been somewhat streaky, so perhaps this is par for the course, but when you consider that his shooting percentage this season is currently his career-low by a significant margin, you have to hope that a bounce back is looming on the horizon.
In the last article I wrote about Batum, I dissected of many of his recent shots, and was sad to see that a large amount of his misses were off of good shots rather than rushed ones. He just hasn’t been knocking down the easy opportunities, which is always difficult mentally. I have played all manner of sports myself, and when you are missing shots that you should be making, that’s when you can start to get into your own head.
This is why I was ecstatic to see Batum have such a successful game against the Knicks. There is one way to get out of a slump, and that’s to keep working and keep shooting. That’s what stood out most to me about Batum’s performance against the Knicks – every shot he took, he took with confidence. That may seem like a seemingly esoteric qualifier – “he just looked confident” – but the little signs were there. There was not any hesitation or delay, rather, if he was open, he simply stepped up and took the shot (and oftentimes made it in this case).
Jan 8, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers small forward Nicolas Batum (88) reacts after point guard Damian Lillard (0) made a three point basket in the fourth quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Batum is not a primary scorer on the Blazers, nor will he likely ever be. With both LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard around, shots can become scarce. Batum has made his bones as a facilitator, and will stay in this role for the foreseeable future. This does not mean, however, that the Blazers don’t need him to score at all. Scoring of any kind is both welcome and necessary from any starter on the team. If shots aren’t falling for other players in a crucial game, it’s always nice to have one more capable scorer.
On a note related to this facilitating, it cannot be overstated how valuable this ability of his is. Batum is third among small forwards in the league for assists per game, and it is a key part of the Blazers’ offense. While having a small forward who can distribute comes with a multitude of benefits, there are two primary ones worth mentioning. First, it can give a break to the other guards who normally handle the ball. If, say, Damian Lillard is particularly winded during a particular play, he can feel comfortable having Batum orchestrate the offense for brief stretches.
Second, something I have noticed recently is Batum’s ability to reset an otherwise broken play. If the Blazers first offensive set leads nowhere, and the shot clock starts winding down, Batum is capable of taking the reins at that point. If Lillard, or another point guard is far away from the ball, Batum saves the team valuable seconds by taking the lead and making things happen without having to wait for a traditional guard to reset.
Batum has not had the smoothest of seasons thus far, but despite this, the team has still performed incredibly well. If he can keep up the improvement, the Blazers will become even more well-rounded and potent, which is a scary thought for any team in the Western Conference.