Wizards' playoff success comes at the expense of Nene
He's one of the most agile big men in the NBA. He piles unreal strength on top of it. Few defenders can move him out of position in the paint. But when it comes to Washington's postseason success so far this year, Wizards big man Nene is on the outside looking in.
There hasn't been a huge dip in Nene's playing time in the postseason so far; after averaging just less than 26 minutes per game in the regular season, he's played 23 minutes per game in the playoffs. But as the Wizards have gone to small ball, Washington's big men have largely served as decoys and screen-setters. And Nene wasn't even afforded that role in Game 1, as he sat for the last 18 minutes of Washington's Game 1 win.
But with the wins piling up and the Wizards looking borderline unstoppable on offense, Nene says that he's willing to make the sacrifice, via the Washington Post:
“Our results speak for themselves. I’m not that kind of guy that like to talk about it,” Nene said. “We work hard, we work together and take whatever the game give to you, and if we winning, we good.
“Definitely it’s tough. That’s the reason it’s a sacrifice,” he added. “But you know the result is something much better than you look cool or look good. You need to do different things that you [do] not usually do, but you know that’s the right thing for the team.”
(h/t Washington Post)
Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey/USA Today Sports
