Boston Celtics: 2 ring-chasers Cs should pursue this summer

Ringe-chaser target for Boston Celtics No. 2) Nicolas Batum

Since failing to live up to his lofty five-year, $120 million contract he signed with the Charlotte Hornets back in 2016 (one that he was inevitably bought out from prior to the start of this past season), Nicolas Batum has become somewhat of a lost-talent in the association.

That said, his 67-game stint with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020-21 may have helped slightly in building back up his reputation as a sound all-around baller.

Averaging 27.4 minutes per game with LA, the 13-year veteran went on to put up 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, one steal, and over half a block on a rather efficient 46 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from deep.

An incredibly versatile player, the forward managed to finish fifth on the Clippers in offensive box plus/ minus (of those who logged over 1,000 minutes) and first in defensive box plus/ minus.

Batum has shown he can still guard all positions from the one to the four quite effectively with his solid lateral quickness, his 6-8 frame coupled with his 7-foot wingspan, and the mere fact that he posted the sixth-highest defensive versatility score in the league (subscription required) out of those who logged 1,800+ minutes on the year.

As for his offensive skills, the veteran still showed that he is more than capable of creating for himself in the scoring department as well as for others, which has always been an impressive aspect of his game (averaged 5.3 assists per game from 2012 to 2018), and could certainly come in handy for this relatively stagnant Boston Celtics offense (ranked 25th in assists per game).

Add on the fact that the Cs need help at both forward spots (as mentioned in the previous slide) and are strapped for cash this summer, and the likely MLE candidate in Nicolas Batum could prove to be a tremendous grab for Boston to have coming off their bench heading into next season.