He wasn’t supposed to be a starter, he was a project in the truest sense of the word. He was young, inexperienced, and raw. Very raw. And yet a starter is exactly what he was here in Portland for the better part of seven seasons.
No matter what he was brought here to be, Nicolas Batum worked harder than most. He was supposed to be a reserve in his rookie season, but opportunity presented itself, and he was a starter four games into his young career. He started 76 games in his rookie season and finished 13th in rookie of the year voting. From then on, he was a regular fixture in the starting lineup and in fans’ hearts.
By the time he left Portland in 2015, Batum had played in 481 games in a Portland Trail Blazers uniform and started 428 of them.
According to league records, Batum is one of just 13 players in league history to wear the number eighty-eight. After reviewing the other 12 players to use it, I can say without a doubt he is the best to wear that number for an NBA team.
We talk a lot about “unicorn” players in the modern era, but he might have been the first of his generation. He came to Portland when they were looking for a glue guy that could stuff the stat sheet and play multiple positions – and play them well. Batum showed up and gave them exactly that, night after night.
You want someone that can defend the other team’s best player? Batum can do that. Your point guard is playing hurt, and you need someone else that can bring the ball up and run the offense? Batum can do that. The shooting guard is out tonight, and we’re playing the Lakers; can Batum play guard? Of course he can. Can he also guard Kobe? Of course.
When we’re playing against the Thunder, we need someone who can guard Kevin Durant, but they also need someone who can also race up and down the court to guard Russell Westbrook. Who is that? Oh yeah, that’s Batum.
And on any given night, we needed someone who did all of those things- and did them well. He came here to do his job, and we got way more than we expected.
Batum arrived in the heart of Brandon Roy’s Blazers renaissance, becoming the starting small forward alongside Aldridge and sometimes playing guard as well. When Roy was forced to retire due to medical concerns, Batum often became the primary scoring option and regularly brought the ball up the court. In some of the leaner years, when the Blazers needed Aldridge at center, Batum valiantly stepped up and played a mix of games at small forward, power forward, and guard, giving the coaching staff the freedom to plug other guys in where they were needed most.
For the six minutes Gerald Wallace played in Portland, Batum went to the bench and played hard when he was called upon as the sixth man.
Batum arrived here at the age of 20 and played seven seasons in Portland before the team traded him to Charlotte in a major overhaul of the roster after Wes Matthews was lost to an Achilles injury late in the season and the front office was unsure if Aldridge would return to the team in free agency (he did not). Damian Lillard was the only regular starter from the 2015 season to remain with the team as Aldridge signed with the Spurs, Robin Lopez signed with the Knicks, and Matthews signed with Dallas, as the team intended to replace him with reserve CJ McCollum.
In his tenure in Portland, Batum averaged 11 points, 1.5 three-pointers, 4.7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block per game, with 1.6 turnovers and 1.9 fouls in 31 minutes per game, while shooting 44% from the field. His numbers fluctuated here and there, but he was dangerously consistent over seven seasons in the Rose City. His playoff numbers were nearly identical; no matter how many times Portland had disappointing playoff exits, it wasn’t because of Batum.
Mr. Batum had a lot of fun games here, and there are a lot of favorite memories to put a highlight reel together, but perhaps my favorite moment was during the playoff series against the Spurs in 2014. The Blazers had just put their hearts on the floor and won a series against Houston, and immediately had to go into San Antonio to face the gosh-darn Spurs. Tony Parker was still a speed demon at that point in his career, and no one in the Blazers’ backcourt could keep up as the Spurs took a 3-0 series lead. The Spurs beat Portland by an average of 18 points per game, and Parker scored 78 points in the first three games, including 29 in game three in Portland. Stotts put Batum on Parker in game four, and Parker managed only 14 points as the Blazers finally won a game. Parker averaged at least six assists per game and averaged 26 points on his own. Once Batum was the primary defender? Parker had 14 points and 1 assist in game four, then was held to no points and no assists in game five (Parker left before halftime with an injury, but the stat line to that point was impressive for Batum). Portland lost the series, but Batum proved the series could have gone very differently if he had been assigned to Parker from the start. Portland had a championship-level team that season, and who knows what they could have done if they could have gotten past the Spurs.
After Portland, Batum spent time with the Hornets, Clippers, and 76ers, then concluded his career by returning to the Clippers two years ago and appearing in 74 games last season, which would be his 18th and final.
He may have arrived as a “project” player, but for many Portland fans, he became a nightly hero and a big reason games were fun to watch. He gave a whole generation of fans a love of the game and made it easy to introduce kids to a player who wanted to play well and do all the dirty work. He played like a star but rarely got the spotlight.
I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Batum a few times, and each time he seemed genuinely interested in talking to fans and always had extra time to spare. Even after a tough loss, he made sure to smile for pictures and seek out kids to sign something that might make their year. He wasn’t just every coach’s dream player; he was the dream player/celebrity for a lot of local parents raising their kids to work hard and play even harder. Everyone wants to be a star, but not everyone wants to work like Batum. He made it look easy, and he did it with a smile.
Thanks for the memories Mr. Batum, enjoy a well deserved retirement. No matter who wears 88 in the future, you’ll be the best and the first to wear it here in Portland.
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