Greatest unsung hero in every NBA team’s history

Denver Nuggets: Nene

These days, it’s pretty en vogue to rag on Carmelo Anthony. Any mention of his name now often leads to quips about his propensity to lay bricks at a high rate and his utter disinterest in playing defense.

Anthony is clearly a shell of his former self now, but even at the peak of his powers, he was always a bit overrated. One trip over to the Denver Nuggets team page at Basketball-Reference shows that he led the team in win shares just once during his eight seasons there, coming in 2005-06.

Even in the more iso-friendly mid-2000s, having a high-volume shooter like Anthony would only take a team but so far. So it’s no coincidence that the Nuggets made only one Western Conference Finals appearance throughout Anthony’s stay with the team.

Fortunately, Anthony played with a variety of solid co-stars and role players like Andre Miller, Allen Iverson, J.R. Smith, Chauncey Billups and Nene.

Of the names mentioned above, Nene was Anthony’s longest-tenured teammate. While he wasn’t a superstar player by any means, he provided solid defense and a smooth post game to counter Anthony’s proclivity to dribble the air out of the basketball.

Through 10 seasons with the Nuggets, Nene averaged a respectable 12.4 points and 7.0 rebounds for a team that consistently won at least 50 games and made the playoffs year after year in a rugged Western Conference. He also led the team in win shares in consecutive seasons during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.

Nene often struggled with injuries. He played in at least 75 games in only five of those seasons with the Nuggets. When he suited up for the team, he created problems with his skill around the basket and his defense in the other end with a 2.2 defensive box plus/minus with Denver.