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Batum admits elbow still not at 100 percent: 'I can't be myself'

Streeter Lecka / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Nicolas Batum's elbow is still bothering him.

The Charlotte Hornets forward missed the first 12 games of the season due to a torn UCL in his left elbow, an injury he suffered during an October preseason game against the Detroit Pistons. In his first game back, Batum fared well, scoring 16 points and contributing six assists in a Nov. 15 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Frenchman admits he may have returned too soon.

"Since I got back three weeks ago, it's really, really bothered my game. It's really bothered me," Batum told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. "It's (affected) my performance. I can't be myself.

"When I'm out there, I know what to do, but I can't do it."

Since returning to the starting lineup, Batum is averaging 10 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, though his elbow is evidently impacting his shooting. The 29-year-old's 46.6 true shooting percentage is by far the lowest such mark of his career, approached only by his final year with the Portland Trail Blazers, when he posted a 51.6 mark in 2014-15.

The Hornets as a team have also struggled to find success since his return, winning just four of 13 games (Batum did not dress for one of the losses).

"I can't really do what I want, what I need, to help this team win because my elbow is really bothering me," he told Bonnell.

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