Nicolas Batum has a slight build, but he already has great balance, broad shoulders, and extremely long arms.  He is already wiry strong and will grow into his body gradually and eventually have the ideal body for an NBA wing.

I don?t usually like to compare players, but his offensive skill set is highly reminiscent of early Latrell Sprewell.

His pre-dribble moves are effective, and he consistently utilizes them; a strong jab step often sets up a dribble step back jumper and ball fakes that he gets defenders to bite on.  

He then has a quick first step on a crossover dribble he uses to get into the lane.

He will be phenomenal at shooting off the dribble on the perimeter; he prepares the rest of his body for the shot while his hand is palming the ball.  He is currently better when dribbling into his shot with his right than his left although he likes going left a little bit more.

Batum still is developing as a perimeter shooter, but he looks like he?ll eventually become a very good one as soon as he works on his streakiness issues.  He has extremely consistent mechanics, readies his hands as the ball is on its way, has really good lift from his lower body, and a high release point.

His shot is fluid, pretty, quick in a subtle way and he also has good range.  Batum rarely misses to the left or righ,t and although he doesn?t get a whole lot of arc on his shot, it is soft and with nice touch.

Also impressive, given his age, is how comfortable he is shooting when tightly contested.

He is brilliant at slashing into the paint and will get a lot of easy layups and dunks in this area of the floor.  His instinct for finding space in the key during the halfcourt offense also proves useful on the offensive glass.  He easily slides in position and gets many highlight reel put back slams and tips - his timing is as sophisticated as it gets.

Batum also has a really quick second jump, which combined with great length to the ball and how he keeps the ball high and noticeable effort, makes him incredibly effective on the offensive glass.

But his other off-ball movements are lackluster and are why he inexcusably disappears.  He is an easy cover offensively when he doesn?t have the ball because he?s a sleepy mover although he does drift into openings on the perimeter well.

Without question he would get many more open looks if he worked a little harder without the ball.

He does come off of screens really well, but that?s probably because he realizes his number is about to be called.  He will come off a screen for a catch at the left elbow, take just one dribble, and make a great layup on the right side in one fluid motion.  He has really good ability in this part of his game.

He is obviously athletic and extremely graceful in the air; he glides beautifully like the one they once called 'The Glyde'.  He also does the one-handed Dr. J take to the rim and has great coordination jumping off either foot.  

Batum is an extremely gifted player in transition, with fast closing speed to the bucke,t and he?ll complete many alley-oops simply because he out-hustles everyone down the floor and capitalizes on his athletic ability.

Another reason why he is so elusive, primarily in the open floor, is because of his length; he is able to turn runners from seven or feet away into pseudo-layups.

As Batum increases his strength, he will be extremely dangerous in the post.  He has a nice little baby hook out of the block and will be able to slip past and get to the rim against just about any defender who plays him too tight because of really good footwork technique.  

Batum also has a great up and under move in the mid-post that he can finish off the glass from about 10-feet out.

He seals his defender smartly in the post when the ball is swung and has excellent hands for the catch.

Batum has very good vision in the post to find cutters and spot up shooters.

In the post and on drives, Batum loses his great balance when he gets bodied, and that immediately affects his decision making; however, that should diminish as his body matures.

On the perimeter and in the open floor, Batum has a long way to go as a passer.  His decision-making is frequently bad, and his basic technique and fundamentals are below average.  He sometimes makes soft uncoordinated passes, will leave his feet to pass, and also attempt ill-advised one-arm passes, all of which make him turnover prone when he is givingup  the ball.  

He has some work to do on the defensive end although he will make an impact from the beginning strictly based on his length and quickness.

His long arms are really active on-ball, and he will get his share of deflections defending the passing lanes.  He is also a good shotblocker for a swing man, flying through the air aggressively.

But he is susceptible to getting screened since it is tough for him to fight through to keep up with his man.

Batum was initially believed to be a top-five pick in this draft, and his talent is as immediately palpable as anyone?s; but unlike the first few picks who will very likely become successful regardless of the situation, I expect Batum?s destination and the type of chance he?s given to prosper will dictate a significant portion of his career?s outcome.  

- Click here to see our full list of 2008 Draft Prospect Reports

Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM.  He can be reached at Chris.Reina@RealGM.com where he may use your draft questions in a future mailbag edition