Ben Golliver on 1080

[MickZagger]

I'm sure Popovich will figure it out

Look what Pops can do with Kiwi Leonard.

 

[PapaG]

Batum has an above average PER.

HOWEVER:

He has never averaged starters minutes. 30 minutes per game.

When Nik has a full season under his belt averaging 35+ minutes per game AND his PER is still well north of 15, then we can confidently label him "Above Average".

Right now I think he is about average.

Compare Batum to a player often mentioned on this board who has a similar PER - Andre Iguodala.

He has averaged 38 minutes per game for his freakin career.

THAT is a starter. And that is a player you can cofidently say is "above average". Nik still has to grow as a player.

Only six SFs averaged more than 35 mpg last season. Nic was 14th in mpg among SF starters.

What's your point?

 

[PapaG]

So, a starter has to be given starter's minutes before you can label him as a starter? Makes sense, I guess, but I'm not sure how much fault belongs to Nic for the Blazers having had Gerald Wallace on the roster taking up minutes at the SF spot.

That's what I was thinking. Wallace averaged 35.8 mpg last season, but once Wallace left, Nic's mpg were ~34 mpg for the rest of the season, and his PER increased over the last 18 games.

His mpg don't really matter, though, because he's 23 years old, is Top 8 in PER for SFs, has averaged 31 mpg the past two seasons, and is going to get a decent offer from someone.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

That's what I was thinking. Wallace averaged 35.8 mpg last season, but once Wallace left, Nic's mpg were ~34 mpg for the rest of the season, and his PER increased.

What was his PER?

 

[PapaG]

Nic's PER/USG ratio is as close to 1:1 as you'll find of any SF with over 30 mpg with a similar (or lower) PER.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/holl...llinger/statistics?position=sf&sort=usageRate

It's unsurprising to me that the player closest to him, at around his Usage Rate, is Iguadola.

The trend seems to have flipped from overvaluing players to severely undervaluing them, at least in terms of Batum. The nonsense yesterday about him being the "most overrated" Blazer in history is just silly.

 

[PapaG]

What was his PER?

Not sure exactly, but as I remember it, his PER was ~16 at the trade deadline, and he ended up the season over 17 after taking over for Wallace.

Purely anecdotal, though, and his usage may have increased as well.