2025-26 Season
NICOLAS BATUM
2025-26 Season
NICOLAS BATUM
Batum produces at an below average rate for a 18-minute workload.
About this model: Net Impact can't measure floor spacing, help defense rotations, or playmaking gravity — so wings and guards are slightly undervalued vs bigs. How Net Impact works
TEAM COMPARISON
of 18 teammates (10+ games, 10+ min)
SKILL DNA
Percentile rank vs 235 Guards with 10+ games
THE SEASON SO FAR
Extreme offensive passivity and brutal shooting slumps defined Nicolas Batum's first twenty games, turning the veteran into a glaring spacing liability. Early on, his defensive IQ masked his reluctance to shoot. This dynamic was obvious on 10/26 vs POR, where he scored just 3 points but posted a massive +6.9 impact score by providing flawless weak-side rotations. That defensive value quickly vanished as his hesitation to pull the trigger began bogging down ball movement. Look no further than his start on 11/06 vs PHX, where a complete offensive disappearing act and an 0-for-3 mark from deep resulted in a devastating -9.7 impact. Even when his defensive positioning remained sharp in subsequent weeks, his absolute refusal to look at the rim allowed opponents to entirely ignore him in the half-court. The floor completely fell out on 11/29 vs DAL, as a 0-point, 0-for-4 shooting night severely damaged the team's spacing and tanked his impact to a staggering -15.8. While he still reads the floor at a high level defensively, his inability to command respect on the perimeter makes his minutes incredibly costly.
This agonizing stretch was defined by extreme offensive passivity and a glaring athletic decline that turned the veteran wing into a walking liability. Even when his jumper found the net on 12/28 vs DET, his 12 points were dragged down to a -1.5 impact score because opposing guards ruthlessly exploited his fading foot speed. The bottom completely fell out on 12/23 vs HOU. During that disastrous shift, his severe lack of aggression and blown defensive rotations resulted in a crushing -10.9 impact score. He did offer a fleeting glimpse of his old value on 01/01 vs UTA. In that game, he posted a +5.4 impact score by catching fire from deep to finally punish the defensive sagging. Unfortunately, that rare flash of floor spacing couldn't salvage a rotation stint largely marred by lethargic closeouts, invisible hustle metrics, and an absolute refusal to look at the rim.
Extreme offensive passivity defined Nicolas Batum's midseason stretch, turning the veteran into a perimeter ghost who actively harmed his team's spacing. During a brutal outing on 02/02 vs PHI, his hesitation to shoot completely derailed the half-court flow. His refusal to look at the rim allowed defenders to aggressively clog the paint, resulting in a dismal -9.1 impact score. He occasionally salvaged his floor time through sheer basketball IQ, like when he posted a +2.3 impact score on 01/25 vs BKN despite scoring only 3 points. Flawless defensive rotations and veteran positioning provided a stabilizing presence that transcended his quiet box score. Yet even when his jumper briefly returned, hidden costs kept his overall value in the red. On 03/06 vs SAS, he knocked down a pair of threes for 6 points, but a glaring lack of physical engagement on the glass dragged him down to a -1.4 impact.
IMPACT TIMELINE
Game-by-game performance vs average. Green = above average, red = below.
Struggling. Batum has posted negative impact in 82% of games this season. The production rarely outweighs the cost.
Streaky shooter — only cracks 45% from the field in 24% of games. Efficiency is all over the place night-to-night.
Good defender on his best nights, but it comes and goes. Some games Batum locks in defensively, others he gets picked apart.
Flat trajectory all season — first-half impact -4.3, second-half -2.9. No major shifts, which fits with the overall steadiness.
Tends to go on runs. Longest hot streak: 3 games. Longest cold streak: 13 games.
MATCHUP HISTORY
Based on 73 games with tracking data. Shows who guarded this player on offense and who he guarded on defense, with their shooting stats in those matchups.
ON OFFENSE: WHO GUARDED HIM
His shooting stats against each primary defender this season
ON DEFENSE: WHO HE GUARDED
How opponents shot when he was the primary defender. Lower FG% = better defense.
SEASON STATS
GAME LOG
71 games played