Nicolas Batum SELECTED BY: Houston Rockets, Round 1(25) traded to Trail Blazers

SI Rank 7 GRADING SYSTEM

BIOGRAPHY: Batum is an incredibly gifted athlete with superstar potential, but the jury is still out on his preparedness for the NBA. Though one of the most athletic players on the court during his 2007-08 Euroleague season, he averaged 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds while the club stumbled to a 2-12 finish. He failed to take advantage of his physical skills and didn't step up to be the go-to scorer scouts imagined him to be. However, at just 19 years old, Batum has plenty of time to develop a better instinct for finding his own shot, and NBA teams will no doubt be tempted by his height, long wingspan and tremendous athleticism. One of the areas he'll need to improve is his outside shooting. He's very efficient in the interior and has a solid mid-range game, but he shot 29.0 percent from behind the arc last season - compared to 53.1 percent inside it. He'll also need to bulk up to be able to match up with other NBA small forwards, which should help improve his sub-par rebounding. Whether or not Batum begins to address these issues before draft workouts, he's projected to be selected in the mid-to-late first round. He might not be ready to make the leap, but NBA teams don't usually let athleticism like his slip too far.