Fantasy Basketball Perspective: Nene Returns
After recovery from thumb surgery, Nene returned to the court Thursday for the Denver Nuggets as they took on the Milwaukee Bucks. For the Nuggets, the return of Nene could be considered a late Christmas present.
Against the Bucks, Nene was hardly needed. The Nuggets were up 68-38 at halftime before rolling to a 125-105 victory. Marcus Camby was the star for the Nuggets as he recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks in 30 minutes of action. Nene played well in his 17 minutes of playing time, recording 11 points and pulling down seven rebounds.
What should be expected from Nene here on out? It’s tough to say. Last year Nene was a beast as a starter. In starts, most of which were in the second half of the season, Nene averaged 14.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and over a block and steal a game. He also shot nearly 60% from the field.
However, this season it appears as if Kenyon Martin will start next to Marcus Camby for the Nuggets. Martin is a former All-Star who has played very well at times this year for Denver. Behind Martin, Eduardo Najera is playing over 23 minutes per game and has played well this year. And although Linas Kleiza is more of a small forward, he has spent some time at power forward this year.
All that said, Nene could still find himself back to playing a lot of minutes. Martin and Najera are both injury prone players, as is starting center Marcus Camby. With the way Nene played last year, there should be no doubt he could work himself back into a spot in the rotation that will have him playing around 20 minutes per game. Depending how he plays in those minutes and the injury status of the other bigs, Nene could eventually reclaim his starting spot. If he becomes a full-time starter again, he becomes a very nice fantasy basketball option. Until then, don’t pick him up unless you can wait on him.
Tags: denver-nuggets, fantasy-basketball, fantasy-basketball-advice, fantasy-basketball-players, neneRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Injuries, Player Analysis
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