Portland’s Nicolas Batum is looking better than ever following his return to action from shoulder surgery.

(Discuss Nicholas Batum and French Basketball in our forum)

The France international came up off the bench and played 25 minutes on Monday night in the Blazers’ 98-79 win over an in-form Charlotte Bobcats team.

Batum scored 15 points, corralled nine rebounds and blocked a shot.

“I surprise myself sometimes because I just try to be aggressive on defense,” Batum admitted. “I’m surprised by my offensive game.”

The 21-year-old followed up his rookie campaign in the NBA with a solid performance for France last summer, helping them reach the EuroBasket in Poland via the Additional Qualifying Round.

He then provided a spark as France clinched a fifth-place finish and earned a trip to the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey where Les Bleus will take on Spain, New Zealand, Lebanon, Lithuania and Canada in the Preliminary Round.

Fans and the media in Portland have been so impressed by Batum that they are wondering if coach Nate McMillan may insert him into the starting line-up again.

“He’s doing okay right there,” McMillan said. “He’s doing a nice job. “

“I don’t care about starting or coming off the bench,” Batum said. “I prefer to finish the game than to start the game right now.”

Read the original article at FIBA.com.