The first time I ever saw Nicolas Batum play basketball was in the 2007 Nike Hoop Summit. I watched him score 23 points in 28 minutes, and by the end of the game I was well aware of two things: Firstly, this dude is really strange lookin’. Secondly, this dude is gonna be a player. Since that Hoop Summit, Batum has become an integral part of the up-and-coming Blazers. He contributes at both ends of the floor and continues to improve each season.
While Batum is certainly capable of putting some points on the board, he’s not the man you’ll see with the ball in his hands down the stretch of tight Blazers game. For his Euroleague team (SLUC Nancy of France), though, he’s apparently that guy. Watch Nicolas almost single-handedly turn a 72-71 game into an 85-71 game over the final 2:40…
Very impressive to say the least. He showed us everything but the kitchen sink! That last three-pointer was from f@cking JR Smith range, and the finishes at the rim were strong. The only two points he didn’t score himself were equally as astounding as his own buckets; what a setup!
For his herculean efforts, Batum was given Euroleague’s week two MVP.
LOL @ #11 getting excited and hugging the coach at the 3:48 mark.
