Charlotte Hornets star Nicolas Batum is out for 6-8 weeks after suffering a left elbow injury in their 108-106 preseason victory over the Detroit Pistons last Wednesday. An MRI Thursday showed that the veteran tore a ligament. In a recent report by the Associated Press, he revealed that some of his countrymen in France are pleased that he got hurt. Batum decided to concentrate on the Hornets this summer instead of representing France in EuroBasket 2017.
"I know (some) people in France are happy about it; that’s the sad part. Really, for real. I got on stuff and people are happy like I deserve it.
... Trust me, I get those reactions on social media," Batum said. Despite this, the 28-year-old said that many people from his homeland and people in Charlotte still support him.
It's unknown at this time whether or not Batum will need surgery. The good news is even if he does undergo surgery, he will not miss the entire season for the Hornets.
Potential replacements
It is going to be a difficult task in terms of replacing Batum while he is on the sideline. In the 2016-17 season, the former first-round pick recorded some of his best numbers, averaging 15.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest. There is likely no other shooting guard on Charlotte's roster that can replicate that stat line while Batum is out.
Hornets head coach Steve Clifford has a few options in Jeremy Lamb, Malik Monk, Dwayne Bacon, Treveon Graham, and Terry Henderson. Lamb and Monk are expected to compete for the starting job in the absence of Batum.
Lamb has played for Charlotte over the past two seasons. He proved that he is an excellent backup at the no. 2 position.
The 25-year-old's experience can help him provide quality minutes as a starter. Monk, on the other hand, is a promising prospect that the Hornets selected with the no. 11 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Hornets' schedule
The Hornets will have to brave a challenging preseason schedule without Batum. They have three games remaining before the 2017-18 regular season officially begins.
This Monday, they will be at American Airlines Arena to take on the Miami Heat. Then, the Charlotte Hornets head back home to Charlotte for a two-game homestand to close out this year's preseason run. On October 11 they will go up against the new-look Boston Celtics. Two days later, they are set to face the Dallas Mavericks. It will be interesting to see how the team does while Batum recovers.
