As expected, Hilario's workload continued to decline during his 16th NBA season. He averaged just 14.6 minutes per game, which he turned into 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds. He also saw action in just 52 contests, as the Rockets gave him plenty of rest throughout the season. Hilario isn't getting any younger, so don't expect his playing time to change much heading into the upcoming campaign. He'll temporarily be slotted in as Clint Capela's backup at center, though it wouldn't be surprising if Houston attempted to go with some smaller, more athletic lineups when Capela's off the floor. With minutes in the teens being Hilario's best case scenario, he can be avoided in the bulk of Fantasy leagues.
In his 15th NBA season, Hilario once again saw his playing time decline, falling to 17.9 minutes, which was his lowest since the 2007-08 season. However, that didn't stop him from posting similar numbers to a year prior, as he averaged 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 assist, while shooting 58.9 percent from the floor. He spent the majority of the campaign as the team's backup center to Clint Capela and was quite effective in limited action. However, Hilario isn't getting any younger and his minutes will likely continue to fall moving forward. While the Rockets no longer have Montrezl Harrell, they brought in Tarik Black and Shawn Long, both of which could take on some of Hilario's workload to keep him as fresh as possible for another playoff run. That being said, Hilario could find himself falling further out of Fantasy relevancy and will likely be nothing more than a late-round option in deeper leagues.
Since coming to Washington during the 2011-12 season, Hilario has been plagued by injuries. One would think that someone so big wouldn't be felled by injuries, but basketball is a tough sport. He suffered through foot, ankle, and shoulder injuries. Still, Nene played in 67 games with 58 starts for 25 minutes in 2014-15. Those numbers were his lowest since arriving in Washington. Nene's production was down across the board. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks, recording just two double-doubles. The 6-11 forward made 51 percent from the field and 60 percent from the line. In the playoffs, Nene scored just 7.9 points (including a scoreless Game 1 against the Hawks), but managed to pull down 6.6 rebounds in 26 minutes as the Wizards advanced to the conference semifinals. The native of Brazil has 13 seasons of NBA battles on his body and has said that he would be willing to come off the bench in the 2015-16 season. He has been a starter for the majority of his career, but reduced minutes could result in improved effectiveness.
The book on Nene is mostly written at this point, and he unquestionably lived up to his reputation last year. Oft-injured and inconsistent, the Brazilian big man is a menace to opposing defenders when both healthy and at the top of his game. The Wizards got spurts of his best last season, but Nene missed all of March because of a sprained MCL, and then struggled in a second-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. He finished the regular season with averages of 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 29 minutes. Nene provides multi-category contributions that are rare for a player with center eligibility, but his free-throw shooting oddly became a problem for the first-time last season. A career 67-percent shooter from the line, Nene mysteriously made just 58 percent of his foul shots during his age-31 campaign. If he can get that issue sorted out, Nene could be one of the more undervalued veterans, as his injury issues seem to be nagging more so than degenerative. He's locked in as the Wizards' starting power forward, and with center Marcin Gortat around to do the dirty work, Nene is free to pile up points, steals and assists. He's also taken on a starring role with the second unit at times, often alongside shooting guard Bradley Beal.
Nene was plagued with injuries over the last two seasons, missing a total of 48 games due to various injuries. In his 2012-13 campaign, the Brazilian veteran averaged solid numbers with 12.6 points (48 percent from the field, 73 percent from the line), 6.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.9 steals in 27 minutes per game. His scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage rates were the lowest Nene had achieved over the past five years, and it was evident that injuries to his knee and foot limited his ability to contribute in his first full season with the Wizards. With news that Nene has been recovering well in the offseason, it is possible for him to have a comeback season as a solid fantasy contributor. Though the Wizards' frontcourt is loaded with role players such as Trevor Booker, Jan Vesley, Emeka Okafor, Kevin Seraphin and Al Harrington, Nene is most likely the focal point down low, as he just signed a massive contract in the 2011-12 season. If Nene can remain healthy for the entire season, he could be considered a sleeper pick in many fantasy formats.
After signing a massive $67-million contract with the Nuggets prior to the 2011-12 season, it looked like Nene would be one of the center pieces of the team in the post-Carmelo Anthony era. Instead, he was sent to Washington prior to the trade deadline. Nene�s production was nearly identical in both of his stops last season, finishing with averages of 13.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks � all numbers that are right in line with his production over the previous three seasons. The main black mark against Nene last season was his inability to stay healthy, as he played in just 39 of 66 games. He dealt with an array of lower-body issues all season and was hampered by plantar fasciitis late in the year. The plantar fasciitis was an issue during his Summer Olympic stint with Brazil, so the condition still warrants monitoring. While the health issues are an obvious concern, Nene is actually in a good position to post some of the best numbers of his career with the Wizards. Washington has numerous young pieces to build around in the backcourt (John Wall, Bradley Beal) and wing (Jan Vesely), but Nene and Emeka Okafor figure to be the two featured pieces down low. If Nene is healthy enough to average 35 minutes per game, we could be looking at one of his most productive seasons stat-wise. Of course, that�s a big if.
Nene continued to go about his business in 2010-11, quietly being one of the most consistent all-around fantasy contributors at the center position. Despite playing just over 30 minutes per game on a deep Denver squad, the 29-year-old Brazilian matched his personal-best scoring mark of 14.6 points per game. His offensive strength comes from an extremely efficient attack, nailing 61.5 percent of his shots from the floor and 71.1 percent of his freebies. He also chipped in as a steady producer on defense with 7.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks. One of the biggest worries with Nene earlier in his career was his tendency to get hurt, but after three consecutive seasons with 75 or more appearances, he has shaken his injury-prone label. Nene will be a free agent once the NBA’s labor situation resolves. It’s currently uncertain where he might land, but after three straight effective seasons in Denver, he should have plenty of suitors. His destination will factor into his overall value, but regardless of where he lands, Nene proved last year he could still produce while being part of a crowded roster.
It's been great seeing what Nene can do while finally healthy over the past two years, and his ability to contribute in so many categories is rare. He's one of a few centers who averaged both a steal and a block per game last season, and the 2.5 apg are nothing to sneeze at either. Still, let's not forget he missed a total of 165 games from 2006-2008, which makes him quite risky as a potential third round pick. He's also not much of a free throw shooter (career 67.2%), and even during his impressive last two seasons, he averaged a modest 7.75 rpg. Denver also added Al Harrington to the mix during the offseason, so with Chris Andersen and Kenyon Martin also there, the Nuggets' frontcourt is quite crowded. Nene has downside.
Nene is one of the quickest centers in the league and possesses a high basketball IQ. He doesn’t try to do things that are outside of his role on the team. He has good hands, takes smart shots and can hit the mid-range jumper. Nene had the second best field-goal percentage in the league last year (60.4), trailing only Shaquille O’Neal. He played in 77 games, starting in all but one of them. The previous four seasons, Nene played in only 158 of a possible 328 games. He tore the ACL in his right knee in the first two minutes of Denver’s first game of the 2005-2006 season and was forced to miss the final 81. Nene experienced a mild breakout season in 2006-2007, but succumbed to testicular cancer, a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb and a right groin strain that limited him to 16 games in 2007-2008. After a healthy campaign in 2008-09, those injuries appear to be behind him. He’ll be a top ten contributor in field-goal percentage and provides good value in points, rebounds and blocks. Nene hits a respectable number of his free throws and doesn’t hurt you in any categories like Dwight Howard with his poor free-throw percentage and frequent turnovers.
Hilario was limited to just 16 games last season after battling cancer as well as injuries. While the cancer issue can be chalked up to horrible luck, the injury issues have been a consistent theme throughout his career. It’s unfortunate because he’s been fairly productive when on the court, capable of averaging more than a steal and block per contest. Hilario saw his value get a major boost when the Nuggets basically gave Marcus Camby away to the Clippers, opening up major minutes in the middle. Hilario appears to be the team’s starting center, and with Camby no longer taking all the rebounds, there’s some upside here. If he can stay healthy.
Nene returned from knee surgery with a bang last season, setting new career highs in per game scoring (12.2), field-goal percentage (57) and rebounding (7.0), despite playing fewer minutes (26.8) than in his first two seasons. Nene always had excellent size and strength, but until last season he didn’t do a great job of using that to his advantage. His improved numbers were mostly due to more aggressive inside play and improved polish on his post moves. He’s the best interior scoring threat on the Nuggets, but once Allen Iverson joined Carmelo Anthony last season there were fewer shots to go around for everyone. Also, Kenyon Martin may return from his own knee issues this summer, further cutting into Nene’s minutes. Nene still has the potential to become a roto impact player, but his team circumstances make it more likely that he will instead remain a solid role contributor.
Nene got only three minutes into his 2005-06 campaign before going down for the season with a torn ACL. The Nuggets are convinced that his knee has recovered, though, having signed him to a $60 million extension this offseason. Nene has all of the physical tools to be a dominant center, standing 6-11 and a solid 268 pounds with good quickness and jumping ability, but through his first three years he has been a solid but average 11 points, six rebounds player that is more likely to impact defensively with quick hands (1.4 spg career) than by defending the rim (.7 bpg). The Nuggets currently have a crowded big-man rotation that also features Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, and Joe Smith, so it is hard to imagine that Nene will be able to dramatically improve upon his career averages even if his knee is fully healthy.
The focus of several trade rumors both last year and this past summer Nenê remains a Nugget and should remain a key player in George Karl’s rotation. His prime weaknesses remain his limited low post game and his free-throw shooting but he is the first front-court player off the bench, shoots a high percentage from the field, and can man both the C and PF positions which should make him center eligible in most fantasy leagues. The arrival of Eduardo Najera last season did cut into Nenê’s minutes slightly but we don’t see that being a major problem. In most leagues Nenê won’t be worth a pick-up unless Camby or Martin go down with injuries and even then his limited offensive game will limit his worth. Our projections for 2005-06 are 8-10 points, 5-7 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block in 23-28 minutes a night.
Despite a fantastic 2nd season Nene' will undoubtedly lose his starting spot to newcomer Kenyon Martin. However, that doesn't mean you should expect a major drop off in production because aside from backing up Martin he'll more than likely spend some quality minutes at the five spot behind Camby as well. We expect to see him getting close to 30 minutes a night and averaging 8-10 points, six boards, two assists, and a steal while reducing his turnovers and improving his free throw % (68% last season).
Nene, who legally changed his name from Maybyner Hilario over the summer, enters his second season with the Nuggets primed to do some damage up front. He'll most likely start at PF but could easily fill in at C if called upon to do that. Expect him to get 30-35 minutes a night with an average stat line of 11-13 points, 6-8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal a game. Though he shouldn't be on your short list of good PF's to take in the early rounds he should make for a very solid back-up especially if he's earmarked as a C/F in your league.
