The men's basketball competition for the Paris Olympics has begun, and as all the national teams participating in the men's basketball team have a record number of NBA players, fans and the management of each NBA team are also paying great attention to the Olympics. As the hosts, the France men's basketball team got off to a good start with an easy win over the Brazil men's basketball team, and in this game, some of the NBA players in the France team were uneven in terms of form and performance, Wembanyama's talent was impressive, and Gobert's play on both offensive and defensive ends can be described as a disaster. And the most stable veteran, Nicolas Batum, still did not disappoint. 9.6 million, back to the Clippers, management is not willing to sacrifice you, and your return will bring back leadership ability to the Clippers.
With 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, Batum's record in the win over Brazil was tied with Wembanyama for the team's highest score, while Batum's plus/minus was the highest in the game at +15, and his nearly 35 minutes of minutes were also the highest on the team. From this point, it can be seen that the 35-year-old Batum is still the anchor of the France team, although they have a historical talent monster like Wembanyama, Mr. 40 million like Gobert, and a series of other NBA players, but their real anchor is Batum. You know, in international competitions, a ball is 40 minutes, and Batum has a 5-minute rest, which is enough to see his importance.
Batum's play is clearly the happiest for the Clippers, as they re-signed the veteran leader on a two-year, $9.6 million contract in the previous free agent market. And the Clippers were determined to re-sign Batum from the beginning, the management recruited him at the beginning, and after the free agent market opened, the Clippers management took action as soon as possible, they gave Batum enough respect, and the final outcome also made the Clippers get their wish. Having said that, many people say why the Clippers traded away Batum in the first place, because he had a central bargaining chip in the Harden trade. In addition to Batum, other players, including Morris Jr., are basically equal salary additions.
To put it bluntly, if the Clippers have a chance to keep Batum, they won't send him away. And Batum himself doesn't want to leave, he played for the Clippers for 3 years, Batum has been the most consistent person for the Clippers, he is not only the leader off the court, but also the reassurance of the team on the court. As long as the Clippers are in trouble, Batum will always be the player who can step up and surprise the fans. And this Olympics, Batum also showed his all-round side, he can score, handle the ball, and lead his teammates. The key is that Batum knows what to do and when, and as a veteran leader, he knows how to control the tempo and not let the team get into chaos.
France needs Batum very much, Wembanyama is talented, but the tournament experience is indeed a little lacking, Gobert is only high, the offensive end has no influence, and is also prone to mistakes, players with average ball intelligence, and other player problems are also obvious, which is why the France men's basketball warm-up game has been lost. In this case, Batum is very important, he has been through several generations of players in the France team, and in the current situation of the team with new and old players and no other core of leaders (the key is that Wembanyama has not yet grown in terms of mentality), Batum needs to take on the leadership role of this team, and he has done it well.
In the same way, Batum will play the same role in the Clippers, although the Clippers have Harden and Leonard, but on the one hand, Leonard's personality is not the best choice for a leader, on the other hand, Harden has not been on this team long enough, and he does not have the ability to be an MVP in the past. And if the Clippers had Batum before, it seems that their lineup has become perfect all of a sudden, because Batum is not only a qualified veteran leader, stable on the court, not making mistakes, trustworthy in key moments, and most importantly, he is a spatial No. 4 position.
This is exactly what the Clippers lacked the most this past season, and the return of Batum fills the void for the Clippers. In addition, judging from Batum's 2-year contract with the Clippers, it seems that it will not be surprising if he finally retires with the Clippers, because Batum's contract ends, he will be 37 years old, judging from his state, Batum seems to have no problem playing again, but after all, his career will not be too long, at this time, going to other teams is no longer of much significance to Batum, and the Clippers may be the best choice for the rest of his career.