Post by jhb on Apr 20, 2021 7:43:12 GMT -5
Nicolas Batum
SF
6'8"
200
19
France
"The French Sensation", Batum has a lot of qualities that have scouts and front offices intrigued, but he still hasn't shown the ability to consistently put them all together on a regular basis yet and that leaves many wanting. He is a very long and very versatile wing player with a quick first step and great leaping ability. He runs the floor well. Like many 19 year olds, he's still skinny and needs to add weight, but he has the frame to do it and keep his athleticism.
Offensively, Batum has excellent court vision and is consistently a threat from the triple threat position. His length and quickness is a challenge to most defenders because he takes long strides and can quickly change directions and it takes exceptional footwork and concentration to stay in front of him. That length also allows him to finish drives with a high level of difficulty in the paint (although he struggles when he has to finish through contact). He is a very mechanically sound shooter and is perhaps most dangerous offensively when pulling up from the mid-range. He has the range to extend out well beyond the three point line but needs to work on his consistency on deeper shots. Where Batum still needs work is that he's very right-hand dominant and as that scouting report goes around at the next level, he'll be shaded hard to his right to force him out of his comfort zone. That will be especially devastating to his dribble drive game as he's a much stronger finisher with the right hand than the left. He'll have to improve that aspect of his ball-handling to keep teams from getting a bead on him and exploiting that weakness.
Defensively, Batum has all the tools to become a very good defender, and especially a versatile one. His length and quickness could give him the potential to guard all five positions, it's just the strength that's holding him back. He's shown the footwork to drop into the post and defend wings in their post game but will need more lower body strength to do that against much stronger TMBSL bigs. He's a bit of a menace on the perimeter, staying in front of just about everyone who has tested him with his combination of quick feet and impressive wingspan. He'll occasionally find a steal and a block but he is more fundamentally sound as a defender rather than being an aggressive risk-taker. His strength also continues to hold his development back on the boards, where he also has the tools to be a good rebounder but for now continues to be moved out of the way by players that are thicker in their lower half.
All in all, Batum is an enticing prospect, but he's got a few things (strength and consistency) that keep him from being among the most sought after in this class. But his potential is high if he puts in the work in the weight room.