A veteran who had a treasure in his family! A veteran who had to retire a year ago is now 6+4+2, becoming a playoff surprise!

"After consulting with my family and my agent team, I think it's time for next year. I will choose to retire after playing the Olympics!" Time went back to the turn of summer and autumn in 2023, but Nicholas Batum, who had just been traded by the Clippers to the 76ers, could not hide his frustration. He also expressed his yearning for retirement and told reporters what he thought in his heart during the interview. This caused quite a lot of discussion at the time. After all, even after Batum finished the Paris Olympics, he was only 35 years old. In this era where athletes attach great importance to them, he can still compete for several years. Moreover, his condition is still quite good, so the fans are very sorry.

However, Batum quickly took back his decision. Although he failed to win the gold medal in the Olympics, as the French team's locker room leader, Batum still averaged 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, performing very well. Moreover, the Clippers boss Ballmer also came to Batum and tried his best to ask him to continue playing in the NBA. Batum was also very kind. Not only did he sign a two-year short-term contract of $9.57 million, but he also maintained his condition very well. He became the team's surprise in the playoffs, which really proved the saying "If there is an old family, it's like a treasure!" Let's take a look at what kind of magic power this 36-year-old veteran still contains!

1. The offensive end is extremely threatening, the team's metronome!

When he was young, Batum was named "French Pippen". On the one hand, it is indeed a recognition of his ability, and on the other hand, it shows his comprehensiveness. At the peak, Batum averaged 15.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. Although he did not reach the level of Pippen, most teams are extremely hopeful for them to get. Now at the age of 36, he is still aged in the Clippers. He played 78 games in the regular season, and although he averaged only 4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, he looked at his high-level data and was ranked at the top of the team. Moreover, as a veteran, his three-point shooting percentage reached a good 43.3%, and he made 88 three-pointers in a limited time. Although he has not made many goals in the inside line now, he can occasionally show his youthful footsteps. This is a pretty good performance for a 36-year-old veteran. Besides, don't forget that Batum's most powerful thing lies in his profound understanding of the tactical system. No matter which team he is in, he can become the team's central axis in the second team and sort out the offense through high and low post support. This is a very valuable experience for the Clippers today. In fact, this is true. In the playoffs, the importance of this veteran is fully demonstrated. So far, he averaged 6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2 assists per game, with only 0.5 turnovers, and a three-point shooting percentage of 40%. He has scored 12 three-pointers in 6 games. Whether it is efficiency or overall output, he is the top substitute lineup of 16 playoff teams. If you look closely at these 6 games, as long as Batum scores more than 6 points, the team's record has reached 3 wins and 1 loss. It can be said that he is the team's barometer. Moreover, Batum's data is not a flash, but a real help to the team. For example, he scored 12 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in the third game, which is a key figure in the team's ability to defeat the Nuggets at home. So far, Batum's offensive efficiency in the playoffs is as high as 116.2, with an assist-and-turnover ratio of 2.0, plus an 8.3 game contribution value. On the offensive end alone, he performed nearly 20 million with a salary of 4 million, and the Clippers made a huge profit!

2. The surprise soldiers at critical moments have repeatedly performed magically on the defensive end.

Then, let's talk about Batum's role on the defensive end. What is very shocking is that as of now, he has sent 10 blocks in 6 games, averaging 1.7 blocks per game. These are the highest among the two teams. Although his competitive state has dropped a lot due to his age, Batum's awareness and experience are still there. Don't forget that he was also the master of flying and hiding the earth back then. With a height of 2.03 meters, a weight of 104 kilograms, and a 2.15-meter wingspan, he can give enough threats as long as he stands under the basket. Moreover, Batum's defensive prediction is very accurate. In the key game of dragging the game into the tiebreak, he also contributed 6 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks throughout the game, repeatedly breaking the opponent's rhythm in stages in the Nuggets' pursuit, especially in the last moment, blocking Westbrook and Aaron Gordon's attack at the basket that must be won, laying the victory for the Clippers. And this game is exactly a microcosm of Batum in this round of series. His current defensive efficiency has reached an astonishing 106.8. It is hard to believe that this is the performance of a veteran.

Finally, let's talk about Batum's other values. In this year's Paris Olympic basketball final, the French team and the American team played hard to distinguish. After the midfielder returned to the locker room, what everyone did not expect was that it was not Victor Vinbanyama or Rudy Gobert who did the ideological work, but Batum. Now that I think Batum is indeed worthy of the team's locker room leader. After all, the players are very convinced of him, whether it is qualifications or personal abilities. There is another interesting data in this round, that is, Batum has taken 25 shots so far, and all of these 25 times come from the outside, without any mid-range or offense at the basket, which is enough to reflect Batum's basketball wisdom. When facing Jokic and Gordon guarding the basket, he knew it was difficult to score points, so he used his strengths to help the team as much as possible. This is why his positive and negative values ​​can reach +4.5.. No matter where the Clippers can finally go this year, as long as Batum is still there, they will have a top-notch championship puzzle, which is an existence that many teams envy.