9.4 points, 40% shooting, 32.4% 3PT%
Batum isn't all that he's cracked up to be. He's a good rebounder and passer, but his scoring production is lousy. Getting last year's 9th pick, along with a solid player in Henderson, is a very good return. This isn't necessarily a rebuild. Rather, it's a solid basketball trade.
That is a career worst year for Batum. He is a career 45% shooter and a 36% 3 point shooter, who plays excellent defense (he didn't last year but every other year he did)
I've shown the statistics on his defense previously. Batum has been overrated there for years.
I do agree that Batum is overrated but not for the same reasons : he is similar to Jeff Green in that he has a great potential but fails to live up to it on a regular basis. He is very irregular and, so far, has never fulfilled the national exceptations (i.e to be Tony Parker's "heir" for the French National team).
His production with the French team is quite telling of his issues. He can be unstoppable for a game scoring wise while defending like a mad man and then score 2 points on 15 shots the next game while getting lost on defense.
I remember the last World Cup where Batum didn't show up for a critical do-or-die game for France against Spain, that France managed to win, and then he exploded for 35 points (on 11/17 shooting) against Serbia (but lost) and 27 points for the third place game against Lituania (and won). That's Batum in a nutshell so you basically never know what to expect.
Still, I find you very hard with Batum, he is only 26 and reaching his prime. I think he will have a great bounce back and contract year so it sounds like a great trade for Charlotte. But it's also a good trade for Portland, they made the right choice in trading him because they've waited long enough for him to take that "next step" and he never did (a la Jeff Green with OKC and then Boston).
