Basketball New Zealand

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Nicolas Batum missed the first 45 games of the NBA season while recovering from shoulder injury, but he looks better than ever right now with the Portland Trail Blazers.

And that’s great news for France, who will play at the FIBA World Championship later this year in Turkey.

The 21-year-old had 31 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals in Saturday’s big win over Minnesota while on Monday, Batum drilled four of seven shots from behind the arc and finished with 21 points.

For a player best known for his defense, Batum is showing he’s becoming the complete player under Portland coach Nate McMillan – an assistant coach of Team USA.

“I think I’m more mature this year,” said Batum.

“My approach of the game is different.

“When I play the game, I’m different because I see more. I’ve learned a lot. I’m just more mature than last year.”

McMillan believes Batum became a more confident player last summer when he represented France.

The 2.01m guard/forward competed in the Additional Qualifying Round, and at the EuroBasket and helped France earn a trip to the 2010 FIBA World Championship. France will face the NZ Tall Blacks, Spain, Lithuania, Canada and Lebanon in pool play at Izmir.

With the French national side at the EuroBasket, he developed into one of the side’s most potent players when it came to attacking the basket. At the EuroBasket, Batum averaged 9.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

“I want to be more aggressive on offense,” Batum said. “Do my thing on offense and have fun.”