BROOKLYN, NY — On the court, the start of Nicolas Batum's tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers has been great. The veteran forward has played very well and earned praise for his well-rounded, highly intelligent game. Unfortunately, he has already had to miss five of his first 10 games with the Sixers due to a personal matter. The good news is that his situation seems to be taken care of now.
After the Sixers' big win against the Brooklyn Nets in his return to the starting lineup following his second absence, Batum said that his wife, Lily, “has been through some health issues the last couple weeks before the trade.” The Sixers forward said that he planned to pause his season before the Los Angeles Clippers traded him to the Sixers in the blockbuster that included James Harden.
“That was always the plan, so it’s not something very fun to go through,” Batum said, “but we have to go through it as a family, and that’s why I’m talking about it right now because I know that it’s private stuff — I can’t really, like, say what it is — but I had to be there and it’s been going on for a couple weeks now. But, hey, sometimes you have to do what you gotta do for your family. It should be okay now. She’s gonna be fine and we’ll be fine.”
A rumor that Batum would retire after being traded from the Clippers to the Sixers spread online after he first stepped away from the team. After his first absence from the team to tend to his family, Batum shot the idea down and said that he had been in constant communication with Philly throughout his time away. Batum said that he texted with head coach Nick Nurse and watched Philly's games while he was with his family.
While Batum tallied just three points, three rebounds and three assists in the Sixers' win over the Nets, his impact popped off the floor because he always knows the right play to make and can make a wide variety of plays on the court. Joel Embiid lofted some major praise Batum's way after the win.
“He's the key. He's special,” Embiid said when asked about Batum's return. “With the way we play, he just fits everything we need. Great shooter, great defender, great passer, great basketball IQ. He just fits everything we need.”
For Batum, who hopes this is the final time he has to step away from the Sixers, today's game was about just fitting in and getting his legs back under him. He admitted that the first five minutes on the court were “really weird.” In the end, he was able to help his team tally its second straight win. He has yet to lose a game as a member of the Sixers.
“I just didn't try to do too much, just tried to be in the flow of the game, rhythm with the game, play with the team, do the simple stuff, offense and defense,” Batum said. “And in the end, it worked out. It was a great team win.”
Batum has been a splendid addition to the Sixers so far and should be a major contributor in every one of their key games. The role he plays and the passion he plays it with is already making him a favorite among Philly fans.
“I think I found out this role like two, three years ago. Been working out pretty well so far,” he said. “So, now I'm gonna try to do the same for [the Sixers]. This is my 16th year, so I have to find a way to stay in the game and keep playing because there's a lot of young guys coming up in this league. So how can I stay at 34 [years old], almost 35 and be effective for a good team? I like this role. I love it. We're winning, guys are happy around me, so I love it.”
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