“Watched Draymond Green and Boris Diaw to prepare for Mavericks”: Nicolas Batum reveals how he learnt defensive principles from the Warriors’ DPOY for Game 4 vs Luka Doncic

Nicolas Batum explains how he studied Draymond Green and Boris Diaw to prepare for his role as a center. The homework seems to have worked.

LA Clippers are back with a roar after losing 2 home games to the Mavs on the bounce. They subjected Dallas to 2 home defeats of their own in the last 3 days and have now tied their first-round series 1-1. There’s no doubt that this series will now be a humdinger.

The manner of the Clippers’ beatdown of the Mavs speaks volumes about their mental fortitude. A 2-0 hole after losing 2 games at home is catastrophic for the morale of practically every team. That they managed to hold on and get back to this point is a great sign for the playoffs.

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Not only did the Clippers win in a pure rout, they also held the Mavericks to a paltry 81 points on the night. Much of this has to do with improved communication and help defense on the defensive end.

The Clippers have learnt how to navigate Doncic PnR sets and are now egging him to let it fly from range. It seems to be working pretty well, judging from Luka’s subpar shooting splits today.

Nicolas Batum says he picked the brains of Draymond Green and Boris Diaw

The Clippers were able to do a real defensive job through all 4 quarters as the Mavs failed to crack the 25-point barrier in a single quarter. Some of this has to do with their terrible shooting from range. But it would be injustice to deprive the Clippers of some well-deserved praise.

Batum was a member of the starting lineup today, and his presence allowed the Clippers to play a 5-out offense while switching and helping into the paint more effectively. Batum says that he studied Boris Diaw and Draymond Green to prepare for his new role.

Nicolas Batum says he asked the video guys for footage of @theborisdiaw and @Money23Green the last few days to learn, inspire, and prepare himself to play the center position today.

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) May 31, 2021

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This candid admission makes it clear how highly the Clippers regard Draymond Green. Green has a great argument as this century’s best defender in the NBA.