We talk less about him this season but Nicholas Batum remains the Clippers’ “glue guy”. While his team has to do without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and he plays a little less than last season, the Frenchman remains this essential player in Tyronn Lue’s collective. This player whose offensive production remains regular and, this season, many are highlighting his defensive qualities. A sector in which Nicolas Batum has taken time to invest, and he does not hide it.
« I was not a defender in France. i was dumb he explains to the LA Times. ” I was defending, but frankly, it wasn’t my main concern. »
As soon as he arrived in the NBA, he had the chance to meet Monty Williams. The current Suns coach was then an assistant to the Blazers, and he explained to his rookie that the defense would allow him to have playing time.
Monty Williams as Mentor
« He really, really took me under his wing the day I arrived in the NBA says Nicolas Batum. ” I didn’t speak English, I didn’t know anything about this country… It’s not in terms of basketball because he really took me under his wing as a man and I needed it. He really pushed me, saying, ‘This is what you have to do if you want to play. And it starts with defence. »
The Frenchman complies, and Monty Williams remembers this time very well. “He wasn’t afraid to defend on Kobe and Wade. At the time, they were the two best players on position 2, and everyone was struggling to contain them. It wasn’t that he contained them, because he was a young player. For me, what mattered was that he didn’t slip away”.
Now 33 years old, the Frenchman does not have the reputation of a defensive “stopper” but his experience, his position, his stature and his game intelligence allow him to hinder opponents. Steve Kerr even goes so far as to compare him to a Finals MVP…
He defends on Embiid, Jokic, Towns…
“He’s a brilliantly intelligent basketball player. It’s like he was one step ahead of the game, and he reminds me a bit of Andre Iguodala in that aspect. says the Warriors coach. “He always does the right thing, and he’s always in the right place at the right time. And he is able to defend against anyone. »
As proof, Nicolas Batum recently defended on Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid or Karl-Anthony Towns. “I tried to be physical with him, I tried to make him work” he remembers. “I’m not trying to stop them. I can not. It’s not my goal when I face them. It is a question of making them work, of tiring them. I try to start defending from midfield, and not wait for them to get in on the line… Some nights one of his guys will really smash me. It will happen, that’s for sure. It’s the NBA. But, I try to add that to my game. I’ve always found a way to change my game to stay in the NBA, and that’s what I’m proud of. »
To make him progress in defense, and allow him to take advantage of his mobility, there is Dan Craig. A former defensive specialist for the Heat, he is now Tyronn Lue’s assistant at the Clippers, and he is full of praise for the Frenchman.
« When you combine his game intelligence, his dedication and his passion for the game with those instincts and his stature, he intensifies so much for us on defense. summarizes the assistant. ” When we have a precise game plan, it’s one of the best to focus on how we want to disrupt a player or an action, and he is the leader. He may not do it every time but he’s very close to it and he knows that when he doesn’t, he blames himself. He’s one of my favorite players I’ve coached. »
Adored by his teammates as well as his coaches, Nicolas Batum more than ever deserves this title of “best glue guy in the NBA” awarded to him in January by Reggie Jackson.
| Nicholas Batum | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Tirs | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2008-09 | BY | 79 | 18 | 44.6 | 36.9 | 80.8 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 5.4 |
| 2009-10 | BY | 37 | 25 | 51.9 | 40.9 | 84.3 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 10.1 |
| 2010-11 | BY | 80 | 32 | 45.5 | 34.5 | 84.1 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 12.4 |
| 2011-12 | BY | 59 | 30 | 45.1 | 39.1 | 83.6 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 4.6 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 13.9 |
| 2012-13 | BY | 73 | 38 | 42.3 | 37.2 | 84.8 | 1.3 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 14.3 |
| 2013-14 | BY | 82 | 36 | 46.5 | 36.1 | 80.3 | 1.4 | 6.0 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 13.1 |
| 2014-15 | BY | 71 | 34 | 40.0 | 32.4 | 85.7 | 0.9 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 4.8 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 9.4 |
| 2015-16 | NO | 70 | 35 | 42.6 | 34.8 | 84.9 | 0.8 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 5.8 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 14.9 |
| 2016-17 | NO | 77 | 34 | 40.3 | 33.3 | 85.6 | 0.6 | 5.7 | 6.3 | 5.9 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 15.1 |
| 2017-18 | NO | 64 | 31 | 41.5 | 33.6 | 83.1 | 0.9 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 11.6 |
| 2018-19 | NO | 75 | 31 | 45.0 | 38.9 | 86.5 | 1.0 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 9.3 |
| 2019-20 | NO | 22 | 23 | 34.6 | 28.6 | 90.0 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 3.6 |
| 2020-21 | LAC | 67 | 27 | 46.4 | 40.4 | 82.8 | 0.8 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 8.1 |
| 2021-22 | LAC | 44 | 24 | 47.5 | 41.0 | 66.7 | 0.5 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 8.4 |
| Total | 900 | 31 | 43.7 | 36.3 | 83.8 | 1.0 | 4.2 | 5.2 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 11.1 | |
