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When the Los Angeles Clippers signed Nicolas Batum fresh off the buyout market, expectations were tempered, but the opportunities were limitless. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George led the recruitment of Batum, despite the French forward coming off an 18-month stretch where he played a vastly reduced role with the Charlotte Hornets.
It took Batum little time to find a home with the Clippers, quickly filling in the role of passer some nights, 3-point shooter other nights, but often times both within the same game. His resurgence has not only made him a fan favorite, but elevated how good the Clippers can be when he has it clicking on all cylinders.
Nicolas Batum recently joined ClutchPoints' Battle for LA show to talk about his fit alongside Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and the Clippers.
āIām just happy to be in this situation, this organization,ā Batum told ClutchPoints. āIām pretty lucky to end up and have some success with this team after some trouble I had the last two years, but Iām just happy to be here and play basketball in a great city, great organization. We have a chance to do something special. You know, we have a lot of teams that can do something special, especially in that same city, but itās great. Iām just happy to be here and I just canāt wait to keep playing, keep winning games, and play the latest in the year.ā
Through the All-Star break, Batum has helped the Clippers to a 24-14 record, good for fourth in the Western Conference, although they've been flirting with the top two seeds essentially all season.
Unfortunately, the Clippers also dealt with dozens of games missed due to injuries throughout the first half of the season. Kawhi Leonard has missed eight games, Marcus Morris has missed 10 games, Patrick Beverley has missed 10 games, and Paul George has missed 11 games.
Those injuries hit during the Clippers' three-game losing skid entering the break, with losses coming against Milwaukee, Boston, and Washington.
āYou know, I think weāve got the second-best record in the NBA after Utah (at the time of our recording), but we feel like we didnāt play well,ā Batum explained. āWe have a lot of room to improve and thatās the beauty with that team. We could be satisfied, actually, because weāre No. 2, weāre good, but no. And weāre not. We feel like weāre middle of the pack or bottom actually. So we have to get better, keep our focus, keep working, and I think weāre on a good path right now.ā
So just how good can this team ā one with four All-NBA-caliber defenders and a bevy of notable scorers ā really be?
āWe can be really good. Everybody knows that. I donāt think anybody had doubts about how good we can be, we just have to do it. Thatās it. Thatās the toughest part. Just do it.ā
Health permitting, it'll be entirely up to the Clippers' play to determine their seeding entering the postseason.
Check out the full episode with Nicolas Batum, where he also discusses āFun Guyā Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka's āArt,ā and much more:
