By Matt Rochinski, hornets.com

2015-16 Review | Nicolas Batum charlotte hornets Photo Gallery Check out Nic's best pics: video footage More from Kemba's 2015-16 season:

Tipping Off

Nicolas Batum did not shy away from expectations when he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets from Portland on June 24, 2015 in exchange for Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh. He was coming to Charlotte for one reason – to get the Hornets back into the NBA playoffs.

“I know my role is going to be bigger too here, more than it was with the Blazers. I’m really excited for this new challenge for me,” Batum told hornets.com when he signed. “We want to bring the city and the organization back to the playoffs. They deserve it… I don’t want to be done on April 15.”

Thanks in large part to Batum’s efforts, Charlotte did indeed make that return to the postseason, pushing the Miami Heat to seven games before being eliminated in seven games. Batum had arguably his best season as a pro, averaging career bests in scoring (14.9 points) and assists (5.8) while posting the second-best rebounding numbers of his career (6.1) in 70 games. He was one of only six qualified players in the NBA to average at least 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in 2015-16 (Kevin Durant – OKC, Draymond Green – GSW, James Harden – HOU, LeBron James – CLE and Russell Westbrook – OKC).

“(Head Coach Steve) Cliff(ord) and my teammates gave me a chance to play my game like I want to,” Batum said of his 2015-16 season. “To be a new guy on a new team with Kemba (Walker) and Big Al (Jefferson), who had been the main targets on offense – to let me do what I did this year, that shows who they are. We’re all about winning. I’m really grateful for that and thankful for that. I tried my best to help this team reach their goals. We missed one, because obviously we wanted to go further in the playoffs, but overall it was pretty good.”

Batum recorded two triple-doubles in 2015-16, recording 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists on Dec. 9, 2015 against Miami and tallied 19 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists on March 29, 2016 in Philadelphia, making him the fifth player in Charlotte NBA history to tally multiple triple-doubles in a season, and the first since Baron Davis in 2000-01. Batum also had 11 double-doubles this season – up from five in 2014-15 and became only the fourth player in Charlotte NBA history to notch over 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists in a single season (Davis and Jamal Mashburn – 2000-01 and Anthony Mason – 1996-97).

“He knows how to play,” said of Batum in his end-of-season interview. “He knows where the ball should go. He has the size, the shooting and passing ability to constantly make the game easier for his teammates. Plus he can defend multiple positions, so I see him as a guy who potentially, with continuity and obviously health, to be an All-Star caliber player.”

Playoff Growth

Like all of his teammates, Batum acknowledges the fact that he’s disappointed in the end result this season, as the Hornets had aspirations of winning a playoff series. Unfortunately for Batum, he was unable to stay healthy in Round 1 against the Heat after suffering a strained left foot in Game 2 that caused him to miss Games 3 and 4 in Charlotte. Shocking to most, Batum was able to power through the injury and returned for Games 5-7, trying to help will the Hornets into Round 2.

“He’s at that age where he can make another jump (in talent),” Clifford said. “I just watch him play, and when you have the feel for the game that he has, with that size and IQ… watch the last two (playoff) games. He was out there and was obviously far below 100 percent, and yet when he’s on the floor, you’re going to play well.”

Batum finished with averages of 11.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in five playoff games, including the three coming off the bench as a reserve on an aching foot.

“This was the first step,” Batum said of the team’s exit in Round 1. “We’re still a young team and have a lot of young guys in this group, so it’s going to be a good learning experience for everybody… That was a good year. Like I said when I got here, I was going to do what I could to try to bring this team back to the playoffs. When MKG went down (early in the season), we tried to regroup and step up as a team because when you lose a guy like that, it’s not easy to play without him. We really tried to step up our game and we all did it – we all did it all year.”

Honoring Home Country with Player of the Week Honors

After dropping their first three games of the season, the Hornets rattled off a string of five wins in their next seven games to reach the .500 mark and get their season back on track. Charlotte’s run with fueled by the play of Batum, who was named the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week award for games played Nov. 9-15, giving him his first-ever Player of the Week honor. During the week, Batum led the Eastern Conference in three-point field goals made (15), while ranking fifth in scoring (25.5) and third in field goals made per game (9.25). In addition to averaging 25.5 points, he posted averages of 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

"He's always thinking about his teammates, so he's very aware of shots and who's getting the ball where," said Clifford. "There are a lot of guys who are good decision makers (in the NBA), where your teammates are open and you get them the ball. I've only been around a few guys who are so skilled, with such savvy, where he literally knows, 'Hey, I don't want to give him the ball there.' That's how (Tracy) McGrady was. That's how (Steve) Nash was. There aren't that many guys, even at this level, that can play that way.”

Batum capped his week with a 33-point performance against his former team in a 106-94 win over Portland on Nov. 15 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Batum was playing with a heavy heart as well following the terrorist attacks on Nov. 13 in his native homeland of France.

“I've got to do it. They tried to take us down. We have to show them that we’re stronger than that," Batum said following the win over the Blazers. "I watch all around the league, the French players, they’re playing good so far, because we’ve got to. I try to do it for my country, this team and myself.”

With the way was playing over that stretch and the eyes of the world on him, Batum made sure everyone was taking notice.

International Flair

Not only did Nicolas Batum make his debut season in Charlotte a memorable one by helping the Hornets return to the postseason, he also continued to welcome the opportunity to represent his country, not once but twice in the offseason. On Aug. 1, 2015, Batum had the opportunity to do something for the first time when he suited up for Team Africa at Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa. In an international and NBA basketball career, filled with accolades, playing the first NBA game in Africa was special to him.

“This is huge for us and huge for me,” said Batum. “I grew up in France, played for the French team and am French, but my dad is from Cameroon. I’ve got roots in Cameroon and family in Cameroon, so for the first time in my life I’ll be able to experience the pride of playing in a jersey with Cameroon on it. My family and I are proud about that. It’s a special thing for me.”

After dropping the historic contest, 101-97, to Team World, Batum returned to France to help his French EuroBasket squad look to defend its 2013 gold medal starting on his home soil in 2015. Batum averaged 9.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.3 assists in 23.3 minutes in nine games as his team fought all the way to the semi-finals before falling to eventual-champion Spain. Batum as his countrymen did not come away empty handed though, as they bounced back to defeat Serbia, 81-68, in the bronze-medal matchup.

2016-17 Outlook

It is no secret that Batum enters unrestricted free agency this offseason. It’s also no secret that Hornets players, coaching staff, front office and fans want to see Batum back in a Charlotte jersey next season as the team continues to build into a playoff mainstay and title contender.

“Nic Batum showed everyone why he is so coveted around the whole league,” Executive Vice President and General Manager Rich Cho said in his postseason availability. “Nic is a huge piece. He is our No. 1 offseason priority.”

Cho’s and Assistant General Manager Chad Buchanan’s desire to bring Batum back should not be surprising. After all, since joining Charlotte in June of 2011, chances are Cho spent a number of years just trying to get Batum here. Both he and Buchanan were with Batum in the 2010-11 season in Portland and always made it clear about how they felt about the coveted swingman.

“I know when I was back with the Blazers, teams were calling Rich Cho to trade for me, and he always said, ‘No, no, no,’” Batum recalled back in his first interview with hornets.com. “When he left, he told me, ‘I’m going to bring you to the team where I’m going to be.’ I love Rich and Chad, so it was good to be brought in like that.”

And in recent conversations with the media, Batum has also acknowledged the fact that he’d like to stay and see how far this team can go in 2016-17. But the NBA is a business, and everything can be unpredictable when free agency begins.

“Of course (I want to stay),” said Batum. “Why not? We had a great season with a great group, so I hope that a lot of guys are going to return. You never know what can happen – free agency in the NBA is a pretty crazy business sometimes, so we’ll see… I am going to talk to them [the Charlotte Hornets] first for sure. So like I said, it will be a crazy summer, July 1 will be a crazy day. But I think my first goal will be to be here with the Charlotte Hornets.”