NBA Playoffs: 10 sleeper players to watch in Round 1
By Tom West
Nicolas Batum
Charlotte’s newest triple-double threat, valuable defender, and overall playmaker.
Nicolas Batum may not have been the NBA’s Most Improved Player candidate and near All-Star that Kemba Walker has been this season, but he’s gone a long way to helping the Hornets improve. After winning only 33 games last season and being without Al Jefferson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for most of 2015-16 (the latter will miss the playoffs), the Hornets still shouldn’t have been this good.
Yet, 48 wins and a top-10 finish in offensive and defensive efficiency later, the Hornets are in a four-way tie in the East at 48 wins, set to face the Heat in the first round of the playoffs.
Batum has been at the center of all areas of the Hornets’ performance thanks to his versatility at both ends of the floor. He’s a reliable defender to cover most twos and threes at the perimeter and collects 6.1 rebounds per game.
When switching over as a scorer, he averaged career-highs in points (14.9) and assists (5.8), making a respectable 34.8 percent of his threes, too. Beyond his shooting, he can pick out cutters to the basket and find open teammates with frequent success, allowing Walker to play more off-ball at times to catch off defenders.
Whether he’s being used to guard the likes of Dwyane Wade or Joe Johnson, or scoring and assisting in any way he can, Batum will be the sleeper behind Walker in what should be a close-fought series.
Next: Myles Turner