While last season was a good one for Batum, he did struggle somewhat shooting the ball with a field goal percentage of just over 40% and shooting 33% from three. He has a lot of responsibility in the Charlotte offense and this season could show the team relying on him even more. Fortunately, the Hornets drafted Malik Monk from Kentucky, who looks like a player that will help give them some more scoring off the bench. The team will still need Batum's playmaking when Walker sits. The backup point guard spot seems to be filled by Michael Carter-Williams and due to his lack of shooting he can be a detriment to your offense. Steve Clifford has some interesting decisions to make when it comes to his bench and it will be interesting to see how he chooses to play Batum and Walker.
Batum as an offensive player was at his best in post up and spot up situations. As a post up threat, Batum uses his size to shoot and pass over defenders. According to Synergy, he scored 0.96 points per possession as a post up player, ranking in the 75th percentile. Batum is not a volume scorer, but he can put up points on certain nights. Last season, he scored in the 20's in 14 games and in the 30's in 2 games. Post ups are not a huge part of the Hornets offensive playbook, but with Howard coming in that might change. Batum also rates well as a spot up threat. He rated in the 75th percentile, scoring 1.10 points per possession. Batum is not a great three point shooter. He is more streaky than anything else, but his career average is 35% and last season he was at 33%. There is no reason to believe that he will not shoot it a little better this season. He can get hot and even made 8 three point shots against the Clippers last season. Batum also gets a lot of possessions as a pick and roll ball handler. He was not great in the pick and roll, ranking in the 17th percentile. Batum is not a dynamic off the bounce player like Kemba Walker. Batum's game is more suited to playmaking off the catch as opposed to creating off the dribble.
Nicolas Batum is locked up with the Hornets for the next four seasons with a pretty big contract. His first two seasons in Charlotte have been two of his best in the NBA. He is a big part of the Hornets team moving forward. He is a perfect compliment to Kemba Walker and is a guy that does not seem to care about stats, just making the right play. Batum is an underrated player in my view. He does so much for his team that helps you win and does little to hurt your team's chances at winning. This is a big year for the Hornets and a great deal of whether or not they succeed is on Nicolas Batum. Can he deliver another good season for the Hornets? We will find out.
Thank you for reading, please follow me on twitter @dennisdownba. All stats courtesy of nba.com/stats and basketball-reference.com unless otherwise mentioned.