Whether it be due to his team high cap figure, his lack of scoring prowess, or a combination of both, Nicolas Batum has been a constant target of criticism from many disgruntled Charlotte Hornets fans. Pleas for him to be traded litter comment sections of Hornets blogs and Tweets. Every wayward shot and misplaced pass is magnified by an outpouring of dismay across the small corner of the Internet occupied by fans of Charlotte’s professional basketball team.

All of this Internet ire would lead one to believe that Nicolas Batum is a lead weight dragging down the performance of the team that handed him a near max contract in the early hours of his unrestricted free agency. He’s averaging 9.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 41.0 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from behind the arc. None of those statistics are particularly impressive on the surface. They reinforce the idea that Batum is offering little in the way of return on investment for the Hornets. In fact, they’re almost identical to the numbers Batum put up for Portland in the 2014-15 season. After that season the Trail Blazers deemed expendable enough to trade to Charlotte in return for Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh.

A deeper dive into Batum’s impact reveals how important he is to the Hornets. So far, the Hornets’ net rating is 25 points per 100 possessions better in the 239 minutes Batum has spent on the floor than in the 97 in which he’s been off. He has a player impact plus-minus of +2.3, the eleventh best mark in the NBA and second best mark on the Hornets behind Kemba Walker. That number is largely thanks to his +1.8 defensive PIPM, which trails only Marc Gasol for the best rating in the league.

He doesn’t get many steals, blocks, or deflections, but Batum’s positioning and awareness have been a huge boost to the Hornets team defense. Shots contested by Batum have been converted 5.2% less often than average, which is the best mark among regular Hornets rotation players. The Hornets block more shots, get more steals, and force more turnovers with Batum on the court. Opponents’ effective field goal percentage is seven points higher with Batum on the bench.

He’s thriving in head coach James Borrego’s switch heavy defensive scheme, and the Hornets are better for it. Batum has been tasked with guarding players one through five, and he has held up against them all. His length and savvy make up for his lack of quickness against guards and lack of size against bigs. He’s earned extra possessions for the Hornets by stealing inbounds passes after Hornets makes and outlet passes after Hornets misses a few times this season. He always seems to be in position to contest shots. The Frenchman has just been an all around force on the defensive end for the Hornets.

Batum still plays a low-usage connector role on offensive like he always has. He’s only attempting 8.7 shots per game, but he’s been relatively efficient on those shots. His assist rate is down this season, but he still possesses the vision and control that have made him one of the better play making wings in the league. He’s playing good basketball right now and making the Hornets better. He’s earned a respite from all the criticism he gets, at least for now.

Additional stats pulled from Basketball Reference and nba.com