How Does He Match Up?

Batum is obviously having a career season and impacting his team in a huge way, but none of that matters. The All-Star Game isn’t about who’s having the best season for their career or helping their team win the most games. It’s about being the better player and having the better numbers. Is Batum actually outplaying the big-name stars?

Well, it sure looks like it. He’s rebounding at a higher percentage than LeBron James. He’s assisting at a higher percentage than Steph Curry. His TS% is right on pace with Paul Millsap. He’s assisting more than his back-court mate Kemba Walker. He’s scoring on pace with Al Horford. His steals per game are the same as Avery Bradley who was named first-team all-defense last year.

None of Batum’s numbers are eye-popping individually. But together they paint the picture of a player doing everything for his team at a high level. Even All-Stars seem to have some weaknesses, but Batum seems to be above average at everything this season.

The East has been disappointing to this point of the season, and a player that does so much for one of the top teams in the conference needs to be in the All-Star conversation. Names like Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, and Kristaps Porzingis are flashier names, but Batum is having a better, more well-rounded season.

The All-Star game has become about getting the biggest named players all under the same roof. But if we’re seriously looking for the players who are having the best seasons, Nicolas Batum deserves the nod just as much as anyone else.