The 2018 NBA Manifesto
Nene
C – 6’11, 250lbs - 35 years old - 16 years of experience
With career lows across the board, Nene is very much at the twilight of the end of a long and strong career. However, the fact that he is near the end should not be confused with having to offer. There’s still a bit there.
Offensively, much of the creation is gone. But he never did a huge amount of that anyway, and nor does he need to. All Nene needs to do offensively is finish, and he does that. The elder statesmen still moves well and dunks with good frequency, and is also a good mid-range pick-and-pop jumper. He also needs to make plays off of short rolls, and he can still get that done too. Nene may not be the lob threat that Capela is and is losing lift every season, but he will create passing angles for driving guards, and finishes well. That will do.
Defensively, the slide is a bit more pressing. As the feet slow, the excess grabbing starts, and defending in space is a problem now. He is only going to be effective in shorter and shorter stretches, and in fewer and fewer match-ups. But as long as he can vaguely hold the fort down in that time, then that, too, will do.
A poor playoff performance should not make for too much recency bias. He was and always will be a bad match-up against the Warriors. That does not change his overall usefulness. On the season as a whole, Nene was a useful reserve post. He needs to slow the decline if he is still to be effective in the final season of his contract, but he should be good for next season.
Player Plan: Two years and $7,476,840 remaining. Might need moving, we’ll soon know. Depends on the success of other aspirations.
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C – 6’11, 250lbs - 35 years old - 16 years of experience
With career lows across the board, Nene is very much at the twilight of the end of a long and strong career. However, the fact that he is near the end should not be confused with having to offer. There’s still a bit there.
Offensively, much of the creation is gone. But he never did a huge amount of that anyway, and nor does he need to. All Nene needs to do offensively is finish, and he does that. The elder statesmen still moves well and dunks with good frequency, and is also a good mid-range pick-and-pop jumper. He also needs to make plays off of short rolls, and he can still get that done too. Nene may not be the lob threat that Capela is and is losing lift every season, but he will create passing angles for driving guards, and finishes well. That will do.
Defensively, the slide is a bit more pressing. As the feet slow, the excess grabbing starts, and defending in space is a problem now. He is only going to be effective in shorter and shorter stretches, and in fewer and fewer match-ups. But as long as he can vaguely hold the fort down in that time, then that, too, will do.
A poor playoff performance should not make for too much recency bias. He was and always will be a bad match-up against the Warriors. That does not change his overall usefulness. On the season as a whole, Nene was a useful reserve post. He needs to slow the decline if he is still to be effective in the final season of his contract, but he should be good for next season.
Player Plan: Two years and $7,476,840 remaining. Might need moving, we’ll soon know. Depends on the success of other aspirations.
