"The NBA Cup Blessing" - Nicolas Batum reveals the 70% system 'reset' that saved the Clippers season
This season has been nothing short of unpredictable for the Los Angeles Clippers .
One moment, the team was eyeing redemption and a deep playoff run. The next thing, Kawhi Leonard missed 10 games due to an ankle injury, James Harden was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers , and franchise legend Chris Paul was sent home. As these events unfolded, the league investigated the Clippers' involvement in the Aspiration issue.
Ultimately, they found themselves staring down an abysmal 6-21 record by the middle of the season. On "The Old Man and the Three," longtime veteran Nicolas Batum gave the perfect word to capture the whole experience.
"I've been in this league for 18 years," he said. " This is the weirdest season I've been part of."
But now, the Clippers have found the stability they need. It all started midway through December during their practices, when they decided they wanted to flip the switch.
"The coaches were like, 'Okay, we're gonna change this,'" Batum recalled. "We pretty much changed. I won't say everything, but like a good 70% of what we have in place. We pretty much changed everything."
Using the NBA cup to their advantage
The Clippers were eliminated from the NBA Cup on Nov. 24 after falling to the Memphis Grizzlies . It would only be after the group play and as other teams battled for a shot at the NBA Cup title in Las Vegas that they realized their elimination was a blessing in disguise.
According to Batum, this gave them plenty of time to regroup in December, during which they tallied their brutal 6-21 start.
"When they were in Vegas playing those stuff, so the rest of the team, we were not playing or playing one or two games in like five days. So, we really had time to practice, something we don't really have like during the season," he explained.
Batum said the coaching staff, led by Tyronn Lue, made every practice count and used the schedule to their advantage.
They needed to endure a couple of losses, but after their huge win over the Los Angeles Lakers , everything started rolling. The next thing they knew, they had won 15 of their next 19 games.
"It was like a complete reset. That was a new training camp technically for us, like we technically zero at that point," he said. "Forget what happened the last two months and let's get back to it."
Composure from Lue
Since their start, the Clippers have gone 32-21. Now, they are eighth in the Western Conference with a 38-36 record and on pace to secure a berth in the play-in tournament.
Some coaches would have unravelled if their team started the way the Clippers did. But not Lue , according to Batum. If a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals against a prime Golden State Warriors that won 73 games did not faze Lue, a 6-21 start wouldn't either.
Aside from Leonard's greatness and Harden's stellar contributions when he was still with the team, Lue's composure was key to their unexpected turnaround.
"One thing I like about this coach is he never panicked, never. We're in a very bad spot," Batum said. "But he always like very calm… He's like, 'We're going to be okay. We're going to find ways and sometimes it's just one game.'"
Now, the Clippers need to maintain that same level of composure and determination – they have to.
"We put ourselves in such a bad spot after 30-some games that we have no choice right now to play every game like it's a Game 7," the Frenchman said.
In their case, it will be eight Game 7s. The Clippers hope that this urgency will be enough to carry them into the playoff picture.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
