Casey Holdahl: "Batum's New Attitude"

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Nikolokolus

Nikolokolus

There's always next year
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http://trailblazerscentercourt.blogspot.com/2009/10/batums-new-attitude.html

Head coach Nate McMillan has seen the difference in Batum through the first days of training camp. The quiet, tentative kid who was left on the doorstep of the Trail Blazers practice facility has been replaced with a self-assured man ready to contribute from the jump.

“Last year (Batum) came in as a rookie not really knowing what to expect,” said McMillan. “This year you see him not thinking, but more reacting. Very aggressive. He knows he can play at this level and play with this group of guys and play in this league. You’re seeing a guy who is very aggressive, attacking the glass. He’s looking to put the ball on the floor, looking more relaxed, more confident in his ability.”

You can see that confidence in the way Batum carries himself. The swagger he showed in fits and starts last season is now ever-present. He’s become more assertive, instinctual.

“I feel better than last year,” said Batum. “I am more comfortable, more confident in my game. I’ll keep playing defense like I did last year and be more aggressive on offense, to go to the rim, take my shots and don’t be shy.”
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The sky's the limit for this kid ... I'm telling ya.
 
Martell and Batum are going to be quite a tandem for a long time to come. This sounds like preseason hype though. Everyone in the NBA looks better than they ever have right now.
 
Luther said:
Martell and Batum are going to be quite a tandem for a long time to come. This sounds like preseason hype though. Everyone in the NBA looks better than they ever have right now.
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Hey, hope springs eternal you know.

Regardless, Nic is still awfully young and was the team's best wing defender as a mere 19 year old, if he can add just a little aggressiveness to his offensive game I think we could see a pretty sizable jump in his production at that end (nothing crazy, but maybe somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 points, 4.5 boards, 1.5 blocks, 1.5 steals 25-28 minutes).

Time (as always) will tell.
 
nicolas+batum+dunks+on+pau+gasol+2.jpg

This
 
Nikolokolus said:
Hey, hope springs eternal you know.

Regardless, Nic is still awfully young and was the team's best wing defender as a mere 19 year old, if he can add just a little aggressiveness to his offensive game I think we could see a pretty sizable jump in his production at that end (nothing crazy, but maybe somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 points, 4.5 boards, 1.5 blocks, 1.5 steals 25-28 minutes).

Time (as always) will tell.
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I think Batum is going to be a beast, don't get me wrong. There is just such a logjam at the SF spot, somebody if not all three players will get less minutes than they deserve. If Nics offensive game has improved he will definitely get the opportunity to prove he should be on the court more. I think Webster is going to have a good year though so we'll see. How many days til the opener?
 
I've been singing the Nico/Martell song all summer. I think we are set at the SF position. Plus, I love the versatility all our wing players give us in different combinations. It's crazy.
 
I am sold on Batum, just not on Webster. I hope Webs proves me wrong, but I don't think that he will be any better than a good reserve. That's OK, if Batum turns into a good starter which I think he will. But I would love for Webster to show me I don't know shit, and that he is ready to be a good starter too.
 
GOD said:
I am sold on Batum, just not on Webster. I hope Webs proves me wrong, but I don't think that he will be any better than a good reserve.
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That's how I feel, too, but if Webster is a good reserve and Batum is a good starter, that will be great.
 
GOD said:
I am sold on Batum, just not on Webster. I hope Webs proves me wrong, but I don't think that he will be any better than a good reserve.
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Both Batum and Webster need to upgrade their play to be considered a good starter and good reserve in my eyes. Hell based on what I've seen, Martell is currently their 4th best option at SF.

STOMP
 
STOMP said:
Both Batum and Webster need to upgrade their play to be considered a good starter and good reserve in my eyes. Hell based on what I've seen, Martell is currently their 4th best option at SF.

STOMP
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Upgrade over last year, or last night? Because if you didn't see good starter out of Batum last night, I don't know what to say to you.
 
PtldPlatypus said:
Upgrade over last year, or last night? Because if you didn't see good starter out of Batum last night, I don't know what to say to you.
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Living in SF, I don't get to see Blazer pre-season games unless they're playing the W's or maybe the Kings. Instead I was enjoying Old Crow Medicine Show last night at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. I've been a Batum backer since before he was drafted but I'd still hope for more then what he showed last year (which is what I was referring to).

*edit... last night? I went to ESPN expecting to see the box score of a pre season game I somehow missed... I really don't know what you're referring to :dunno:

STOMP
 
Last edited:
STOMP said:
Living in SF, I don't get to see Blazer pre-season games unless they're playing the W's or maybe the Kings. Instead I was enjoying Old Crow Medicine Show last night at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. I've been a Batum backer since before he was drafted but I'd still hope for more then what he showed last year (which is what I was referring to).

*edit... last night? I went to ESPN expecting to see the box score of a pre season game I somehow missed... I really don't know what you're referring to :dunno:

STOMP
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My mistake--didn't realize you weren't a local. Last night was the Blazer fan-fest; preseason intra-squad scrimmage in front of nearly 17,000 at the Rose Garden. Batum showed a lot. You may want to read the 9 pages of fan-fest thread.
 
magnifier661 said:
Well I sure hopes he develops a more consistent outside shot. He adds that to his arsenal, then the comparison to Prince will hold true.
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He will be better than Prince in 2 years tops. Prince has never been as versatile as Batum.. Prince can shoot and do a back down flip shot, but I've never thought he was above average at driving. Batum can be.
 
magnifier661 said:
Well I sure hopes he develops a more consistent outside shot. He adds that to his arsenal, then the comparison to Prince will hold true.
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You realize he shot 37% from beyond the arc and posted an overall FG% of 46 percent last year right?

He certainly isn't some kind of sharp shooter, high volume scorer, but he's pretty goddamn efficient for a 19 year old rook who played 18 minutes per game.
 
Nikolokolus said:
You realize he shot 37% from beyond the arc and posted an overall FG% of 46 percent last year right?

He certainly isn't some kind of sharp shooter, high volume scorer, but he's pretty goddamn efficient for a 19 year old rook who played 18 minutes per game.
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Those are good signs. But to be effective, you actually have to take some shots. I am hoping we see that this season. He definitly seemed much more agressive on the offensive end of the court at the scrimmage.
 
hasoos said:
Those are good signs. But to be effective, you actually have to take some shots. I am hoping we see that this season. He definitly seemed much more agressive on the offensive end of the court at the scrimmage.
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I agree that things might change if he's given a larger share of the responsibility to score, but for a rookie that was expected to spend his season in Boise, he definitely showed he was ahead of expectations, factor in the way he played over the summer in the European championships and his (supposedly) much more aggressive offensive game so far in training camp I think he's primed for a big jump in growth.

I'll be clear though, I don't expect some massive jump in per game numbers because I think at best he'll probably be a 25 minutes a night kind of player, but I think it's reasonable to see his efficiency on offense continue and to also see a modest uptick in his usage rate. My best guess is that he'll average somewhere in the neighborhood of 9-10 points per game, 3-4 rebounds and continue to show off his ability to block shots and generate steals.
 
Batum look very good last night. Better than Webster in that game.
 
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