LOS ANGELES -- Nicolas Batum tried something different during the All-Star break. He went down to a resort in Mexico and limited himself to only one hour of cell phone use every morning, then he turned it off for the rest of the day. He told his mother and his agent to call the hotel if they really needed to reach him.

That strict cell phone diet was a sign that Batum’s struggles this season -- in which his shooting percentage has plummeted to a career low and his scoring average is at its lowest since he was a rookie -- were mental as well as physical. Yes, he was drained from playing for France in international competition so many summers, and yes he has been bothered by wrist and knee injuries this season. But listen to what he said the time off meant to him:

“The All-Star break was a big thing for me. I just relaxed and refreshed my mind,” Batum said. “I’m feeling good now. I’m happy to be back and kind of get my rhythm back, my swag back a little bit.”

Swag isn’t something that can be surgically repaired. There’s no rehab program. Something was a little off in Batum and he knew it.

“Nobody’s been harder on Nic than Nic,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said. “He’s wanted to play well. He’s put a lot of pressure on himself.”

Batum averaged 8.9 points and shot 37 percent from the field and 27 percent on 3-pointers before the All-Star break. In the six games since his phone break, he’s averaging 11.8 points and shooting 40 percent on 3-pointers, 50 percent overall. That includes his 20 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two blocked shots in Portland’s comeback win against the Clippers in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

He took opportunistic shots. He found LaMarcus Aldridge on lobs off the pick-and-roll. He took over defensive duties on Chris Paul after Paul had his way with Damian Lillard and did a good job of forcing Paul left instead of his preferred right. He was, as he put it, “that all-around player like I used to be.”

At age 26, Batum is too young to be telling back-in-the-day stories. But he did find himself watching video of last season, when he put up numbers more in line with his career averages, when he was that more aggressive player.

Great win! On to the next. Happy for my lil bro @nicolas88batum played big tonight. He carried us tonight when we needed.

— Lamarcus Aldridge (@aldridge_12) March 5, 2015

The Trail Blazers are a different team with the Batum of the past -- and the post-All-Star present. They’re more dangerous, should be taken more seriously. He's a double-digit scorer and 40 percent shooter in their victories; he averages 7 points and makes only a third of his shots in their losses. They’re not going to go deep into the playoffs without a couple of podium games from Batum.

Apparently it took some time when he didn’t communicate with others for Batum to find himself. He liked what he saw in the old video, he realizes that player hasn’t vanished.

“I was OK last year,” Batum concluded. “I’m good now.”

If the Blazers are going deep into the playoffs, they’ll probably be better off if calls to Batum’s phone go straight to voice mail.