NBA: Ranking The Best Shooting Guards for 2016-17

 6. Nic Batum, Charlotte

Throughout his career, Batum has predominantly played small forward. When he arrived in Charlotte, that changed. And he saw extended time at the off-guard spot. With the departure of Courtney Lee, that trend will continue next season, should Michael Kidd-Gilchrist stay healthy.

The 6’8 Frenchman is one of the better all-around wings in basketball and has proven himself as a rebounder and passer. Any coach would love to have a guy who can grab a rebound, take the ball coast-to-coast, and create a bucket for his team, and Batum fits that mold to a tee.  Over the last four year, his assists per game have increased dramatically, and he set a career-high with 5.8 last year. For someone who does a great job as an orchestrator, he’s not so great at putting the ball in the basket, and I’d personally like to see Batum become aggressive as he was in Portland.

He settles for a lot of threes. Sure, he knocks down about 35 percent of them, but he’s so much better inside the line and even better around the basket–69.7 percent, to be exact. With his length, he can go amongst the trees and finish, and he’s athletic and skilled enough with the basketball to take defenders off the dribble.

Next: Dwyane Wade