Los Angeles Clippers swingman Nicolas Batum was an NBA also-ran coming into the 2020-21 season, but has become the key to L.A. beating Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.

Batum's journey to get to this point has been a fascinating one. The Charlotte Hornets were desperate to offload his salary this past offseason, but his $27.13 million cap hit basically made a trade impossible. Charlotte was forced to stretch-and-waive Batum, allowing him to sign with a team of his choosing.

The Clippers signed Batum, giving L.A. another swingman capable of playing either forward spot and stretching the floor while also helping on the boards and even making some plays off the bounce. However, his defensive acumen and physical length have suddenly made him the most important Clippers player as they hope to take down Doncic and the Mavericks.

Total impact

The first two games of this series looked ugly for the Clippers on a number of levels.

Los Angeles could not stop Doncic, who repeatedly torched smaller defenders like Patrick Beverley and capitalized whenever he got switches in pick-and-roll. Doncic's ability to get into the paint and score or drive-and-kick caused nightmares for the Clippers, with the Mavericks getting a barrage of three-pointers.

Yet, what was seen as a “doom and gloom” narrative for the Clippers had some bright spots even as they faced a2-0 deficit. Batum was one of those aforementioned bright spots.

Batum shot a combined 7-for-13 from the field through the first two games, including 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. But those seemingly unspectacular numbers pale in comparison to the impact he had when he was on the floor.

Indeed, Batum was +13 in terms of plus-minus through the first two games despite the Clippers otherwise looking out of sorts. His versatility and selflessness clearly provided a benefit to L.A., and he always seems to gel perfectly with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

So, Batum had already proven himself an asset early in the series. He was really unleashed in Game 4 on Sunday.

Clippers X-factor

Doncic has been bothered by a neck issue, but he readily admitted he simply played terrible on Sunday. Batum had one or two things to do with Luka's poor performance.

The Clippers might have caught the Mavericks off-guard by putting the Frenchman on Doncic. It was a move that made ample sense, in context. Batum has the size to be physical with Doncic and the length to disrupt things in the passing lanes.

Those attributes were on full display in Game 4. Batum, who started for the first time all series, had four steals and two blocks. He harassed Doncic on the ball and was still able to supply help defense whenever necessary. Luka finished the game with just 19 points on 9-for-24 shooting and was 1-for-7 from beyond the arc.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said putting Batum on Doncic changed the complexion of L.A.'s defense, especially in terms of their ability to help:

“Defensively I thought he did a great job on Luka getting up the floor, trying to deny him the basketball, pressuring him a little bit,” Lue said, via Law Murray of The Athletic. “He had a block or two, just flying around. Nico starting today allowed us to switch more and do more defensively, and that’s why we were able to hold them to 81 points tonight.”

Perhaps even more importantly, Batum alleviates some of the pressure on Leonard and George, with the latter saying his ability to stick to Doncic gives himself and Leonard a “breather” at times.

That notion is vital for the Clippers. Lue had grappled with placing Leonard on Doncic, but did not want to potentially influence Kawhi's ability to score and maximize his output on that end of the floor. Batum's limited offensive role allows him to more doggedly pursue Doncic on the defensive end, meaning Leonard and George do not have to expend so much energy.

It was not so long ago Batum was renowned more for his awful contract than his capacity as a impactful, two-way wing. Now, he is arguably the Clippers' most important asset as they hope to close out Doncic and the Mavericks and move to the conference semifinals.