The natural topic is one Nene doesn’t want to talk about: Not the calf issue, not the triceps problem, not the years before when he has missed games. Not any of it.
“Don’t worry about it,” Nene said recently. “I’m just going to try and focus and do whatever I can to help my team.”
He zips up a giant fleece that would serve as a blanket for many. Nene is 6 foot 11 and 250 pounds. Everything is big: his shoulders, biceps and hands. There is nothing to the eye that would suggest the fragile plight of his body throughout his 13 seasons in the NBA, during which he has played 82 games once. Any assumption would be the opposite. Presumably, objects colliding with him have a chance of disintegrating.
Instead, he has played just 18 of the Washington Wizards’ 39 games, missing time in the previous three seasons as well. Since being obtained in March 2012 in a three-team trade that brought him from the Denver Nuggets to replace JaVale McGee, he has not played more than 67 games in a full season. If he plays every remaining game this season, he’ll finish with 61 games played. That total would make his four-year average in Washington 60.5 games.
He looms as invaluable on the roster. The Wizards do not have another post player who operates the way he does. He’s arguably their best overall defender. He is their best post scorer. Nene can pass out of the post the way few other big men in the league can do.
On Saturday night against the Boston Celtics, Nene’s full package was unwrapped. He made a two-hand touch pass while on the move during a fastbreak. He dunked following a cut. He dominated the Boston Celtics’ Tyler Zeller in the post. He played just 12 minutes.
His time was limited because the club is always grappling with Nene’s shelf life. He had made three consecutive starts when center Marcin Gortat was injured, and the Wizards were playing back-to-back games. In the three starts, his influence was clear and massive. The club allowed 101.7 points per game in those three. For the season, they allow 104.1, 24th in the league.
“If you take a look the last [few] games or whatever, our intensity, our focus and defense, especially like one-on-one and defend together like a unit, like a group, that helps a lot,” Nene said. “To trust each other. It doesn’t matter if that’s a big, if that’s a little. Help each other. Help your teammates. That makes a huge difference. When we pass, when we cut hard, when you focus to go and beat your man, somebody helping find open man, that’s our game. We’ve got to maintain that. Be more consistent with that.”
Before Jared Dudley signed with the Wizards, he knew the extent of Nene’s reputation. Dudley was aware of the defense, physical presence and missed games. Opposing players knew there was a chance Nene would be out of the lineup the nights they payed the Wizards, and they were never disappointed when that was the situation. It meant less bruising.
With the Wizards, Dudley holds the same perspective. The short period without Gortat confirmed what he knew about Nene.
“Nene’s huge for us,” Dudley said. “I don’t know if he even realizes how big he is for this team. My whole thing, I’ve been telling people, I just want him here at 7 o’clock. He can do whatever he wants Monday through Friday. Practice, whatever. Just be there at 7, because we need him.”
“To be honest with you, sometimes he might not just have to practice,” Dudley added. “It’s a rare exception where I think players can not practice and still perform. He’s that rare exception, and since he’s able to do that, me personally, as one of the leaders on this team, I have no problem with him not practicing not one day and just being out there at 7 o’clock. That’s obviously not my decision, that’s [the] coaching staff. He’s huge for this team and where we want to go.”
Such anxiety seems out of place for a backup center who averages 7.9 points and 4.4 rebounds, and has a 16.88 player efficiency rating. Yet, his influence on this roster is felt well beyond those numbers — a pull reflected in Dudley’s words.
Nene is in the final year of his contract. He can become an unrestricted free agent during the summer and thinks he will play two or three more seasons. Whether he will play for Brazil in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August is still unclear.
His fourth, and likely final, full season in Washington is almost half over. Should the Wizards reach the playoffs, preservation of Nene until then will be crucial. They know it. He knows it.
“You know, injuries that happen, you can’t explain injury,” Nene said. “Sometimes, you just got to go through [them]. This team has been amazing for me, supporting me. Understanding what I’ve been through. The players, general manager, owner, help me right there. Like especially when you play on the low block, there’s a lot of things you’ve got to clean, and you going to be [injured]. You know, God’s good. That’s all that matters.”
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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