It worked at critical moments, but the Clippers veteran forward also did not perform well in regular time?

In a previous NBA Cup game, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Dallas Mavericks at home 133-127 after a hard-fought double overtime. After this game, the Clippers, who ended their 6-game losing streak, improved their record to 4-8, and their ranking climbed to 11th in the Western Conference; while the Mavericks, who suffered a 3-game losing streak, saw their record drop to 3-10, and their ranking dropped to 14th in the Western Conference.

In this game, the performance of the Clippers' substitute striker Nicolas Batum was actually not ideal, but he still played his role in overtime, and he also made a certain contribution to the team's victory through his experience. Batum played 24 minutes and 55 seconds, making 2 of 6 shots, 1 of 5 from beyond the three-point line, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 steals. He also had 1 turnover and 4 fouls, with a plus-minus of -2. Batum still has no touch on the offensive end. His performance beyond the three-point line is very unsatisfactory, and his contribution on the offensive end is really very limited. In fact, Batum's performance on the defensive end during regular time is also relatively average. His defensive ability has declined significantly, and it has been difficult for him to effectively restrict his opponents. However, in overtime, Batum brought out his characteristics in defensive awareness, assisting defense and supplementary defense. He also helped the team finally stabilize the situation and win.

In the NBA regular season last season, Batum played a total of 78 times in 82 games, averaging 17.5 minutes per game. He averaged 4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. He also had 0.4 turnovers and 1.4 fouls. He shot 43.7% from the field, 43.3% from the three-point range, and 81% from the free throw line. During the playoffs, Batum played a total of 7 times, averaging 24.6 minutes per game, 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game. He also had 0.4 turnovers and 1.9 fouls. He shot 39.4% from the field and 39.4% from the three-point range. Since the start of this season, Batum has averaged 17.4 minutes per game in the first 12 games, averaging 3.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. He also has 0.5 turnovers and 1.8 fouls. His field goal percentage is 30.4%, his three-point shooting percentage is 29.3%, and his free throw percentage is 100%.

Batum's performance this season has indeed declined too much compared to last season, and all his statistics have dropped significantly. His efficiency on the offensive end is far from ideal, his stability beyond the three-point line is not what it used to be, and his concentration and ability on the defensive end are not as good as before. Of course, this game also illustrates that at some specific moments, Batum can still play a certain role. Therefore, the Clippers' use of Batum is still unreasonable. They should still reduce his playing time in regular games. Perhaps letting him play at certain moments is the most reasonable way to use him?