The Philadelphia 76ers have needed everybody to step up while Joel Embiid continues to recover from his left knee meniscus injury. They normally rely on Tyrese Maxey, but he was missing on Sunday in Toronto so Philadelphia needed others to step up.
Kelly Oubre Jr. took over the scoring mantle with 32 points to lead the Sixers, but Nic Batum hopped off the bench and poured in 19 points while shooting 7-for-8 from the floor, including 5-for-6 from deep. He had two steals, six rebounds and two assists as he contributed on both ends of the floor.
“Nico usually differs a lot of offense to people, but I think everybody knows, I mean, he’s a good catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter,” coach Nick Nurse told reporters after the win over the Raptors. “I thought he had two really big steals, too at pretty key times where he read a play and he’s one of our best defenders so it was a really good game. It’s good to see him shoot more than two or three in a night. Like his shot number should be — I’d like to see him get five 3s up here and there.”
While Batum has been terrific as a 3-point shooter (41.7%) as a member of the Sixers, he also has been terrific on the defensive end. He isn’t as spry as he used to be, but he has been tough on that end of the floor. Philadelphia needs him to be a big factor in the playoffs.
“He’s great,” Nurse added of Batum. “Certainly a veteran player, super pro, and he’s really good defensively, right? I’m not sure people know that or are giving him credit for that. We put him on a lot of guys that get going during games and he really works hard and he’s 6-foot-8 or 9 doing that.”
Considering this is his 16th NBA season along with his experience internationally, Batum has much to offer a team with his veteran know-how and leadership. His play has been quite solid since being acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in October, but that veteran experience has been a big help for Philadelphia as well.
“He’s gonna catch and shoot when he’s open and he’s a good shooter,” Nurse finished. “So, but locker room stuff, he’s very good. He’s been through a lot of games, both in the NBA and internationally. So it’s good to have that.”
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