5 Steps to Get Slumping Blazers Forward Nicolas Batum Back on Track

Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum hasn't looked like himself throughout the 2014-15 NBA season. His 8.6 points-per-game average is the lowest since his rookie campaign, and his Personal Efficiency Rating (PER) of 11.9 is the worst of his career, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

The truth is: This isn't the first time we've seen Batum in a slump. Passive play has plagued him at times in years past, but the problem this time around surrounds a lack of efficiency.

As CSNNW's Dwight Jaynes recently put it, "I'm not sure what the answer is, but I know the question: Whatever happened to Nic Batum?"

Although answering that question is, as Jaynes eluded to, difficult, there are a handful of things Batum can do to improve throughout the year. He's an important part of Portland's quest for a title, and the Blazers can only improve if he steps up a few specific areas of his game.

Get to the Foul Line

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Nicolas Batum is a good foul shooter. He's averaged 83.2 percent from the line for his career, and he's shooting a career-high 87 percent this season.

The problem? He's only getting to the charity stripe once per contest.

Although Batum has never been great at earning freebies (he's only averaged two per game for his career), one free throw is the smallest number he's put up since the 2010-11 season. 

Despite being known as a passive player at times, Batum needs to be more aggressive getting to the rim. Free throws will do more than just add points to his average—they'll give him a chance to watch the ball go through the net.

That's something that gives any shooter confidence, which is exactly what the 26-year-old needs at this point in the process.

Become a 3rd Option

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Behind LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews has become the clear choice as a third option. He's established himself as one of the league's most dangerous three-point shooters, and he's doing it while boosting his points-per-game average over the past two seasons.

All of this is good news for the Blazers. Nicolas Batum, however, shouldn't be satisfied.

If Batum is going to step up his game, he has to be more assertive. None of this is to say he should try to overtake Lillard's or Aldridge's shot attempts, but when the team needs another scorer, he must be willing to step in and take over. 

The catch here is: His game is versatile enough to make up the difference when he's not scoring. His rebounding and playmaking abilities help when his shot is off, and that's something he can rely on when Aldridge and Lillard are playing their best.

But as we've seen before, even franchise pieces can have off games. When that's the case, Batum needs to do whatever it takes to earn looks as the next in line.

Shoot More Short-Distance Shots

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Nicolas Batum has been awful from long range this season. In fact, he's been awful from most distances. 

From three-point range, Batum has shot just 22.6 percent—a career low by a long shot. He's also shooting just 38 percent from the field—another career low, and it's really not that close to his second-lowest mark.

Although you'd like to see Batum stick to what's working, there's one area in particular that should be a goal to improve: shot-range shots.

According to Stats.NBA.com, Batum is knocking down just 33.3 percent of his shots between three and nine feet. However, the bigger problem is that he's taken only three shots in that range all season.

Remember how Batum needs to get to the foul line more? This is how he can do it.

We've seen the swingman being aggressive in the short range in the past, but he needs to do it more regularly. If he wants to earn a reputation as someone who can get to the line and create easy buckets, he'll have to get looks inside.

That's something opponents haven't gotten used to at this point in the regular season.

Improve 3-Pointers

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This one isn't a tip. It's not something that would be mutually beneficial to all involved.

It's something that needs to happen.

So far this season, the Blazers attempt the fifth-most three-point shots in the NBA. That's fine considering they're sixth in three-pointers made, but imagine where they'd be if Nicolas Batum was shooting better than 22.6 percent from downtown on the year.

Although Batum's percentage is dreadful, what's more concerning is that he's taking 4.4 attempts from beyond the arc. Only two players take more attempts from long range on the year—Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews—which means Batum needs to establish himself as a more reliable option if he's going to be counted on to threaten defenses late.

Stay Healthy, Stay Rested

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Typically, when you want a player to get back into the swing of things, you give him more minutes. We saw this at times with Nicolas Batum during the Nate McMillan era, but that doesn't mean it's the case in the current system.

Following a summer that saw Batum play big minutes in the World Cup, the injury bug has hit. Through Dec. 25, the forward has been forced to sit six contests. That's been a problem when it comes to getting into a groove.

Above all else, Batum needs to simply stay healthy in order to produce. But as stated above, that doesn't mean boosting his minutes to numbers that would make the leaders of the league shudder.

If the Blazers are smart with Batum, they'll tread lightly when it comes to this situation. There are plenty of minutes to go around when you consider Will Barton, Allen Crabbe and Dorell Wright as options, and keeping Batum healthy should be priority No. 1 when it comes to getting the most out of his $11.49 million salary this season.