NOW IS THE TIME
Clippers' Batum is focused on the present, not his uncertain future
PLAYA VISTA ❯❯ The Instagram post was simple, a photo accompanied by two words plus an emoji. It said “Year 16,” with a saluting face under the stoic-looking basketball player.
Even without additional text, the message was clear. This was a portrait of a man in flux, an NBA veteran weighing his future. Should Nicolas Batum stay in the arena where he has lived, worked and played for 16 years or go and enjoy retirement whatever that might look like?
Batum, 33, said he is going to take his time deciding his future because there's a new season around the corner and he is “pumped” for what could be his final NBA season.
“I think I've done a lot in the NBA,” the versatile 6-foot-8 forward said. “I'm trying to focus on this season. We'll see what happens after this season. Maybe I'm going to stay, maybe not. I don't know yet.”
The subject of retirement came up during the summer when Batum's wife, Aurelie, tweeted that he already had “decided to end his career (NBA and international) after the Olympics. So this is his last season with the Clippers.”
This season will be Batum's 16th overall and fourth with the Clippers. After being waived by the Charlotte Hornets and clearing waivers, he signed with the team on Dec. 1, 2020. He resigned for one year in 2021, then re-signed for two more after that season.
Now, in the final year of his second Clippers contract, Batum is at a crossroads.
“(I'm) thinking about what I've got left,” he said. “All I'm thinking right now is I'm just ready for this year . ... I'm really excited for this year and what's ahead for this franchise, that's for sure.
“Because we have big goals, like a lot of teams have big goals, and we're really ready to achieve that goal. So, we'll see what happens at the end of the season. We'll see what happens.”
There is one thing for certain. Batum isn't leaving the court until after the 2024 Olympics in his native France. A member of the French national team, he was a member of the 2020 French Olympic team that won a silver medal in Japan and played on the 2012 team.
He also helped France win the gold medal at the 2013 European Championships and silver twice at the World Championships. In 2021, Batum was named French Basketball Player of the Year.
Despite playing in FIBA World Cup games this summer and the 2024 Olympics, Batum said, at his age, he needs to pace himself.
“You have to be smart with it,” he said, referring to the opportunity to manage his minutes at this level.
“When I get a chance to play as much as I can, I'm going to do it, and I just want to enjoy the highs and lows for sure,” Batum said. “But I don't really focus on if I'm tired or not, or if I play too much or not. I mean, I'm playing.
“A bunch of guys want to get like minutes, and they don't get it. I'm playing, so I'm not complaining about it. You can't be tired and complain because you play too much when guys only want opportunities to play.”
After a brief pause, he added, “I won't complain about that. Other stuff for sure, but not this.” He punctuated the last bit with a smile.
Batum has been a mainstay in the Clippers' rotation since he arrived. In 204 games in L.A., he has started 111 times and averaged 7.5 points while shooting over 42% from the field and grabbing 3.3 rebounds over the past three seasons. His numbers dipped slightly last season with a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back in the lineup.
In addition, he is one of a handful of active NBA players with more than 10,000 points (he has 10,627), 4,500 rebounds (5,006) and 1,400 3-pointers made (1,589). He also has been one of the healthiest players on the Clippers' roster, which he attributes to preparation.
“I've been lucky to be healthy since I got here pretty much,” Batum said. “Played the game as much as I can. When T-Lue (coach Tyronn Lue) calls my name, I try to go out there and give everything I have.”
And that's not going to change this season, whether it's his last or just another in his long career.
“This year is going to be the same,” Batum said. “I don't really care about what happened the last two years if I played too much or not. I've just got a chance to be on an NBA roster, and a good one, and compete for something. It's the best thing for me, so I just go out there and play, and if I play, I don't care how much minutes I play. I just want to go out there and play with my team and win games.”