Dylan Mitchell @oheyijust
When most are asked what needs to be done for the Wizards to win, very seldom will the response be “Nene is the key to victory.” I’m here to tell you that the Wizards have the ability to go as far as they want, but the person who will bing them that far is going to be Nene.
Out of the 12 games played by the Wizards in February, they only came away with 3 victories. In those 3 victories, Nene averaged 15 points per game, which is above his season average of 11.4 points per game.
Nene has scored 20 points or more only 6 times this year, but in those 6 games, the Wizards are 5-1, with their only lose coming at the hand of the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime. If this record were to hold for every playoff series, Nene scoring 20 would give the Wizards a victory in any playoff series they would face this season.
In last year’s playoffs, the league was able to see how successful the Wizards can be when Nene is given touches in the low post. He was able to dominate the 2013-2014 defensive player of the year, Joakim Noah, and was able to help the Wizards to a 4-1 series victory. The Wizards have proven to succeed when the Big Brazilian gets opportunities for some easy baskets.
In February, Nene did have a lot of trouble staying out of foul trouble, which led to his lack of production, and a 3-9 record in February for the Wizards. If he can log enough minutes while healthy and out of foul trouble, the Wizards can always make a run at the title come playoff time. Without Nene, this run is not possible.
If Randy Wittmann is able to notice this, he will see that giving Nene some isolation plays in the post will lead the Wizards to victory. Nene’s personal success wipes off on the success of the team, and will be needed if this team plans on playing into the summer. If Nene can assert himself on the block, look for the Wizards to go even further than the Eastern Conference semifinals this time around.
