Nicolas Batum living up to contract with Portland

When Nicolas Batum signed a four-year, $46.1 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers before this season, the team's expectations went up. And, so did his own.

"I'm excited about this challenge because they really trust in me and showed they believed in me," Batum told USA TODAY Sports. "Last year when I was a free agent, I wanted to sign with a team where I had more responsibilities than a role player.

"I wanted to be on a team where I can make more plays. When I got the offer sheet from Minnesota and Portland matched, I knew I was that kind of player and I was OK with that."

Blazers coach Terry Stotts knew Portland needed more from Batum now that he vaulted to the team's second option behind forward LaMarcus Aldridge. But, Stotts realizes it needs to come in increments.

"A lot of times when players sign a new contract, they expect an immediate jump," Stotts said. "The truth is, he's 24 and what I told him was I wanted to help him expand his game, particularly offensively, so he can be a facilitator, a pick-and-roll player, a post-up player, a consummate all-around player rather than just being a catch-and-shoot player.

"He's still developing that. It's wrong for people to expect that that's going to change overnight just because he signed a contract."

The progress is evident in certain areas of Batum's game – a career-high in minutes (38.2 per game), points (16.1), rebounds (5.7), assists (4.3), steals (1.6) and blocks (1.2). Capable of contributing in a variety of ways on both ends of the court, Batum has developed into Portland's most versatile player. As a defender, he can guard multiple perimeter positions. He is becoming the player he wants to be.

This season, he is one of five players in the league averaging at least 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block, joining Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, Miami Heat forward LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, according to basketball-reference.com.

In Portland's 89-85 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday, Batum had 22 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, two blocks and one steal. In a 95-94 victory against the New Orleans Hornets, Batum became the first player since Andrei Kirilenko, then with the Utah Jazz on Jan. 3, 2006 to record at least five points, five rebounds, five assists, five blocks and five steals in a game.

"Every year, I have improved and upgraded my game," Batum said. "I felt like this year should be my year. After last year, I got a little more playing time and I started to become more of a leader. It feels normal for me to be one of the go-to guys on this team."

Batum seeks more consistency, especially with his jump shot. He is shooting a lower percentage from the field this season (41.7%) than last season (45.1%) and lower on three-pointers this season (34.7%) than last season (39.1%). But that's all part of the process that Stotts mentioned.

"With a coach giving him more freedom and the team investing in him, that gives him more confidence," Aldridge said. "We are all looking forward to seeing what's next. He'll continue to get better. He'll be that big-time second option and that will make us more better – as me and him continue to grow."

To learn how to deal with expectations, Batum talked often with San Antonio Spurs guard and fellow Frenchman Tony Parker during the summer. They spent significant time together preparing for and playing in the London Olympics. Batum said Parker simply told him to play his game and prove his worth and value.

Batum, whose father Henry played professionally in France before dying on the court of a heart attack when Batum was 2, accepted expectations and wasn't daunted by the pressure his big contract.

"Why I should put pressure on me because of that?" he said. "I signed a good contract. My family is OK. Everyone is healthy. I play basketball. I play in the NBA, so why should I worry? I'm OK with expectations."

Said Stotts: "He's accepted the responsibility of where he is on the team. He was the young guy, the fourth, fifth option in years past. Now, the dynamics of the team and the roster have changed, and he has more responsibility on the court to be a scorer, to be a defender and he has more leadership responsibilities. He's embraced that."