Went from this
11. Nicolas Batum, Portland Trail Blazers
USA TODAY Sports
Scoring
9/20
Trying to fight through injuries for much of the year, Nicolas Batum saw his scoring ability decline rather drastically. He had trouble getting separation from defenders, and his shots were often awry, leading to many a single-digit output while he struggled to hit even 40 percent of his looks from the field. Scoring has never been Batum's forte, but it was a distinct weakness in 2014-15.
Non-Scoring Offense
13/20
Though Batum wasn't a huge threat off the ball, he retained his knack for distributing the rock and racking up assists. For the third season in a row, he posted an assist percentage on the right side of 20, which is rather impressive for a small forward on a team with a shot-creating threat at the point. Plus, the number of bad-pass turnovers he recorded dipped rather dramatically and not just because he was spending less time on the floor.
Defense
35/40
Defense has always been Batum's bread and butter, and it was no different in 2014-15. Even while fighting through some nagging health issues, he remained a lockdown threat on most nights. Regardless of the situation, it was tough for even the more potent offensive players to rack up gaudy point totals against him.
Rebounding
5/10
The versatility continues. Batum's raw numbers, however, are misleadingly high. Not only does he record a less impressive number of opportunities, hinting at a slight lack of involvement on the glass when the boards aren't coming right to him, but he was surprisingly ineffective with other players in the area.
Intangibles
9/10
It's somewhat astounding that Batum managed to spend so much time on the court. At various points throughout the season, he injured both knees, his wrist (twice) and his back. Somehow, he still missed under 10 games.
Overall
71/100
This was certainly a down year for Batum, who regressed in just about every area save his work as a distributor. But he still managed to make a positive impact for Rip City. Even when he's fighting through injuries, he can play quality defense and display his well-rounded game. We've certainly seen more from him in the past, but his season would be a successful one by many other players' lower standards.
To this at SF
21. Al-Farouq Aminu, Dallas Mavericks
USA TODAY Sports
Scoring
7/20
There's not much to write home about here. Al-Farouq Aminu is one of those players who scores largely because he's picking up trash, not because Rick Carlisle is drawing up sets that lead to him getting shots. Nor is he going to create his own looks very often, except for when he grabs a rebound and hits the follow-up attempt.
Non-Scoring Offense
4/20
Is any defensive scheme going to focus on shutting Aminu down? Not really, and defenders often cheat away from him when he's standing on the perimeter for the Dallas Mavericks. Between that and a dearth of passing skills, there's not much going for him on the offensive end.
Defense
37/40
This would be why Aminu is making the cut. He's a true lockdown defender who can routinely take on the toughest wing assignments, especially because he's so good at preventing points while working on the ball. His off-ball work can be a bit sloppy, but you're not going to score against him in a one-on-one situation unless you manage to work your way into the post.
Rebounding
6/10
Aminu has been better in years past, but he's still quite dangerous on the glass in a per-minute setting. Very active as soon as a shot goes up, he seeks out as many opportunities as possible and isn't afraid to fight through contact. Even though he spent less than 20 minutes per game on the court, he was still one of the top per-minute contested rebounders at his position.
Intangibles
10/10
It's hard to complain about a man who accepts his role and goes out each night willing to make the biggest impact possible with limited minutes and touches, especially when he also stayed quite healthy throughout the year. A bruised shoulder was his most severe injury.
Overall
64/100
A defensive specialist through and through, Aminu is strong enough on that end that he still registers as a top-200 player—if only barely. It also helps that he does good work on the glass and stayed healthy throughout the season, though improving some facets of his offensive game would certainly elevate his standing even further. And by "some," I mean "all."
Not sure I would be celebrating how I spent that 30 million
