Charlotte Hornets head coach, Steve Clifford, has revealed that newly acquired, Nicolas Batum, will start at the teams shooting guard position next year. Clifford told Batum that this trade would expand his role and he is seen as a primary scoring option for the team.

Throughout Batum’s career he has played the small forward position and has never been the main option on offense. Even though he is a very versatile player on the floor he has mostly been a secondary scorer who sits in the corner and waits for a catch and shoot opportunity. But now with a change of scenery and welcomed fresh start for the 6’8 Batum in Charlotte, he is going to get an expanded role under Steve Clifford.

Clifford and the Hornets organization are hoping for a big year from Batum and he is expecting it from himself. He said that “I know my role is going to be different and I like that. I know I can do a lot of things on the court; I’m a very versatile player. So me and Kemba (Walker) can do great things together.”

Batum had a down year last season where he averaged below his career totals in all major categories. He averaged 9.4 points per game, 4.8 assist per game, and 5.9 rebounds per game, all while shooting 40% from the field and 32% from the three-point line.

The Hornets gave up Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh to get Batum from the Portland Trailblazers earlier this week. For the team that ranked as the worst three-point shooting team in the league last season, Batum is a huge addition to their roster. Charlotte was in need of shooting help and got a lot more than that when they acquired Nic Batum.

It was surprising when the team passed on shooting guards in the draft such as Justise Winslow and Devin Booker but now the move to draft Frank Kaminsky makes more sense. Clifford envisioned an idea all along to start Batum at the shooting guard position.

Next years starting line-up seems to project with Kemba Walker at point guard, Batum at shooting guard, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at small forward, either Spencer Hawes, Cody Zeller, Frank Kaminsky, or Marvin Williams at power forward, and of course Al Jefferson down low at the center position.

The success of the team next season will be largely relied upon Batum and Clifford’s new system. Nicolas is a great all-around player, he is able to handle the ball, pass, shoot, drive, and also defend at a very high level. As a versatile player, Batum has the opportunity to have a huge bounce back season and become an all-star next year under Clifford’s system for the first time in his career.