Nic Batum has been on a diming spree since the All-Star break; in the eight games he’s played since then, he’s gotten 7, 8, 9, 12, 10, 8, 8, and 10 assists. His scoring has dropped off in that span, thanks to his new focus on getting his teammates involved: the most points he scored in any of those games was 15.
Maybe his arm is still bothering him and he doesn’t want to shoot as much. If that’s the case, then it’s good that he can impact the game in ways other than his (inefficient) scoring. He has embraced the “point-forward” designation fully, like an ultra-budget LeBron James, except Batum’s actually getting paid like he’s the full version of LeBron James, so there’s nothing “budget” about him other than his inferior skillset/athleticism.
The only question is: will Batum get the “Deng” treatment when he’s 32 years old and making 27 million dollars in the 2020-21 season?