# Nene's ceiling



## jericho (Jul 12, 2002)

Are we looking at it now, or can this guy ratchet up another notch or two in the seasons to come?

He's been in the league long enough that it feels pretty likely that we've seen what he's going to be capable of, and the big variable over the next 3-4 years will be staying healthy and out of foul trouble in order to maximize on-court productivity.

I said at the beginning of the season that I'd be thrilled with a 15 ppg, 8 rpg season from him, provided he can play 70+ games. He's close enough to that now to earn his special Jericho Badge from me, but it seems like he'll never evolve into a notably prolific rebounder or threaten to average 20 ppg.


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## Kuskid (Aug 18, 2004)

It's tough to say, since the Nuggets have so many weapons. Everyone knows Melo is more than a 22-23 a night scorer, but when you have him, Billups, JR, and Nene all on the same team, there aren't always enough shots to ago around. There are a lot of guys on the squad that can light a team up. And it's not like Nene's strictly a garbage man; he finishes everything and can create his own offense. It would definitely be interesting to see what he could do as a definite #2 option, in a place like Indiana.


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## jericho (Jul 12, 2002)

I don't know, I assume that if he were a legit #2 option (capable of putting up 17-20 ppg or so) then he'd be used as such, since efficient post scoring is so rare and so valuable.


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## Kuskid (Aug 18, 2004)

If there's one thing I've learned over the past 6 years it's that when you're dealing with George Karl, though, it's that common sense doesn't always apply. This is the man who found Earl Boykins 30 minutes a night on a squad that had a producing Andre Miller, and convinced Frogman he was a worth more than $5 mill a year.


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