By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Charlotte Hornets forward Nicolas Batum played for French national team after a two-year pause as the last game he wore the blue jersey was back in Rio 2016 Olympic Games when France lost to Spain in the quarterfinals.
He didn’t perform on his level back then (no points and rebounds) which made him even more pleased with the good return (nine points, eight assists and four rebounds) to the squad in the win against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers: “It was good, especially because the last time I played, I finished on a bad note. I’ve missed the blue jersey these last two years but last year (not playing) did me some good. I needed time with my family.”, Batum told fiba.basketball.
His NBA season ended in April as the Hornets failed to clinch a playoff spot and he didn’t play a competitive game since. Batum admited being a bit rusty at the beginning but regained his form later on in the game: “In the first half, I was getting into gear because I hadn’t played a real game in two months. You can practice but nothing compares to a real game. I had a rough start, I felt better in the second half.”
The last game for France in the first stage will be against Russia in Krasnodar and Batum noted it won’t be easy, especially with Timofey Mozgov playing for the other side: “It is another great team with almost all its good players. Mozgov will be there now and this team gave France a lot of problems during the first game. It is going to be difficult in a different kind of atmosphere. It’s up to us to play a great game, to be consistent on defense for 40 minutes, move the ball in offense and get a win”, he finished.