Charlotte Hornets: Nicolas Batum targeting November 15th return
A return date is set for Nicolas Batum as the Charlotte Hornets’ swingman rehabs from a serious elbow injury.
Charlotte Hornets’ analyst, Stephanie Ready, tweeted that “Nicolas Batum is targeting November 15th as his return to action.” Nic has been out since tearing a ligament in his left elbow in a preseason game against the Detroit Pistons on October 4th. He has been rehabbing the injury ever since.
It has been previously reported that the 28-year old rehab process is on time and he hasn’t experienced any setbacks. Ready also mentioned that Nic is set to run through his first contact drills since the injury before the Hornets’ away game on November 10th against the Boston Celtics. If all goes well, Batum will run through a full-contact, five on five scrimmage before November 15th.
Nicolas chose to not have surgery that would likely have him miss the entire season and instead opted to rehab his elbow. Batum was expected to miss around six to eight weeks. A return on November 15th would mean that he would return within the six-week timetable.
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The November 15th game at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers is an important one for Charlotte as it will be their first nationally televised game of the 2017-18 season (ESPN). It will also be the debut of the Hornets’ throwback pinstripe uniforms. It goes without saying that LeBron James and the reigning Eastern Conference Champions amplify the game that much more.
Nic has arguably been Charlotte’s second best player in each of the last two seasons. In 2016-17, he was second on the team in scoring at 15.1 points per game, first in assists at 5.9 per game and fourth in rebounds at 6.2. His versatile style of play allowed him to contribute in multiple facets and he was the secondary playmaker alongside Kemba Walker.
Jeremy Lamb has filled in admirably as the starting shooting guard during Batum’s absence. Lamb has scored over 15+ points in every game so far this season and is averaging a career-high 17. He’s also grabbing 5.1 rebounds a night.
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It will be interesting to see how Steve Clifford uses Jeremy once Nicolas returns as he will most likely move to the bench and lead the second unit. Getting Nic back will surely help strengthen the roster and give them some more depth. Dwayne Bacon could see fewer minutes as a result of Batum’s return.