How important is Nicolas Batum to the Portland Trail Blazers?

I thought I knew what Nicolas Batum means to the Portland Trail Blazers, but after watching last night’s game, I’m still, like, 95 percent sure I was undervaluing him.

While Batum’s numbers don’t jump off the page or even come close to some the league’s best wings, like Kevin Durant and LeBron James, Batum is still an above-average small forward with the potential to be a top-five player at his position.

Season	G	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2013-14	82	36.0	4.6	10.0	.465	.361	7.5	5.1	0.9	0.7	13.0
2014-15	7	33.6	3.1	8.6	.367	.345	7.7	5.7	1.0	0.9	9.0
Career	417	30.4	4.1	9.1	.452	.369	5.0	2.7	0.9	0.8	11.5

On Monday, David MacKay listed the Trail Blazers’ best options for replacing Batum:

"A) Start Dorell Wright for a veteran presence and have Will Barton come off the bench as an undersized forward.B) Start Wright and activate either Victor Claver or Allen Crabbe for depth so that Barton does not have to play out of position.C) Start Barton for energy and have Wright come off the bench to steady the second unit.D) Start Thomas Robinson for defense and hope spacing is not an issue. Move Joel Freeland up to first option at power forward behind LaMarcus Aldridge."

Head Coach Terry Stotts went for the closest possible “like for like” switch and Crabbe did his best Batum impression, but it was far from as good as the original.

Stotts also split Batum’s minutes between Crabbe and C.J. McCollum while giving a few extra minutes to Steve Blake and Dorell Wright.

I fully expected the Trail Blazers to struggle Tuesday night against Charlotte. As you can tell by his statistics, Batum is the Trail Blazers’ second-best (maybe best?)passer and facilitator. The offense runs through him, and he’s often the one holding the ball when LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard are jockeying for position and running off screens.

So far this season, Batum is struggling to find his shot. He’s not playing that poorly, but compared to last season’s red-hot start, Batum looks like he’s taken a major step back this season. That’s not quite the case, though. Batum’s underrated scoring ability makes him a threat that defenses must account for, which opens up the floor for the other Trail Blazers.

Throughout his career, Batum has been thought of as a good defender, but he’s struggled to live up to his defensive potential created by his length and wingspan. This season, Wesley Matthews has been the better defender. Matthews’ body and low center of gravity were especially key in James’ scoreless second half against the Trail Blazers on Nov. 4th.

Although Batum has struggled, his value cannot be determined by his statistics or even how he’s played this season’s vacuum. He might not be the best, but Batum is a solid, reliable forward who is the glue of this Trail Blazers’ team. Without him, the Trail Blazers are going to have to squeak out these wins because they don’t have any wing on the bench that is half the facilitator that Batum is.