With opening night for the Clippers just around the corner, we’re continuing our season preview series by looking at Nicolas Batum, who joined the team as a late free agent acquisition.
Basic Information
Height: 6’9″
Weight: 230 lbs
Position: Forward
Age: 32
Years in NBA: 12
Key Stats: Played just 22 games for Charlotte last year, averaging 3.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 34.6% from the field and 28.6% from deep.
The year prior, in a more significant sample size, appeared in 75 games, playing 31.4 minutes per game and averaging 9.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 45% from the field and 38.9% from three.
Contract Status: Signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract that will pay him about $2.6M but only count for $1.6M against the hard cap.
Expectations
While Nicolas Batum never came close to living up to his 5-year, $120 million dollar deal in Charlotte, he was still a positive contributor–until last season. A combination of injuries, conditioning, poor play, and a preference for younger options caused the Hornets to go away from Batum for most of the year, and he was truly awful in the 22 games that he did play. But for a new team, there are plenty of reasons to assume that a healthy, motivated Batum could be a quality role player again at 32 years old. In the 2018-19 season, he was solid (but unspectacular) as a glue guy who can hit an open three, make a simple read to drive or pass, and use his size and length to be a positive defender across multiple positions.
For the Clippers this season, they really only need him to do each of those things at an average level to be well worth his minimum-salary deal and nightly minutes. Heading into the season, he appears to be safely in coach Ty Lue’s plans. During the pre-season, he started at power forward in place of Marcus Morris, and when Morris returns to the lineup we can expect to see plenty of Batum at power forward on the second unit in a lineup with Terance Mann, Lou Williams, Luke Kennard, and Ivica Zubac. In that lineup, he’ll add a lot of value defensively working with Mann to cover for Lou and Luke, but there isn’t a lot of shooting in that lineup so they’ll really need his three-point shot to bounce back after last season.
Ultimately, it looks like we’ll be seeing quite a bit of Batum this season, and I’d venture to say he’s the 9th man heading into the year. He’s the primary backup PF and fill-in starter for Morris, but I also expect that he’ll see time at small forward on load management nights. As long as his quality of play is adequate, it’s easy to see Batum fitting in to a lot of lineups as a gluey role player who will likely be low-impact but also make very few mistakes.
Strengths
Probably the most enticing aspect of Batum’s game from the Clippers’ perspective is his defensive ability. He had a strong defensive reputation earlier in his career, and even in recent years Charlotte used him on star wings–though it’s worth noting that the Hornets have been dreadful in recent years and didn’t have very many other options. In reality, Batum shouldn’t be your best option against the league’s stars, but he’ll bring a positive presence to his lineups as the Clippers’ fourth-best wing defender behind Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Morris. A step slow at this point in his career, he might be well-suited to his shift to more power forward minutes, but his 6’9″, lengthy frame makes up for a lot of mistakes. He won’t stay in front of quicker guards, but he will be able to defend most second unit players at shooting guard, small forward, and power forward.
Offensively, Batum’s shooting might be his x-factor, but it’s not quite a strength. Even with an uptick from last season’s small-sample 29%, his career average of 35.7% is just average for a backup forward. His strength is really his playmaking ability, which exceeds what you’ll get from most backup forwards. He isn’t a primary distributor by any means, but he can run a secondary pick-and-roll and read the defense to make smart passes. Without a player like Chris Paul or Ricky Rubio joining the team to create for others, Batum is part of an upgraded playmaking ensemble–including incumbent Lou Williams and newcomer Luke Kennard–who will try to ease the team’s offensive stagnation.
Weaknesses
Probably the best thing about Batum is that he doesn’t have any egregious weaknesses. Where other options at this tier might be non-shooters, horrible defenders, or poor decision-makers, Batum is adequate in each area. If there’s one thing that will probably become a recurring annoyance, it’s that he has a tendency to be overly timid and passive offensively. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing on a team with a ton of high-usage scorers and offensive firepower, but it could be frustrating at times if good possessions end with Nic passing up shots.
Just as I said above that Batum’s shooting isn’t quite a strength, it isn’t quite a weakness either… but it could end up becoming one. If Nic can hit 39% of his threes like he did two years ago, he’ll make huge contributions this season. If he shoots 29% like he did last season, it seems like he’ll find his way out of the rotation soon enough. In the 33-35% range, he will have some utility but could hold back the Clippers’ offense at times as defenses funnel shots to him (like Luc Mbah a Moute years ago).
Summary
While Batum isn’t likely to have any type of breakout or huge nights where he’s the center of attention, he has the potential to be a solid and consistent second-unit player that helps Ty Lue build viable lineups around his more dangerous game changers. As long as he can do that, he’ll be tremendous value on his minimum-salary deal.