Post by jhb on May 26, 2021 11:01:29 GMT -5
Nene Hilario
C
6'11"
250
20
Brazil
The second of two highly-touted South American bigs in this class, Nene comes to TMBSL after two seasons at the highest level of Brazilian basketball with Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama. While competition level is an issue when evaluating Nene relative to the other players in this class, there's no question to scouts about the athleticism of this prospect. He can jump out of the gym and runs the floor faster than most guards, which is especially impressive for a man with the bulk and strength that Nene possesses. He's a huge threat to finish through a defender with the power dunk in the lane and he's deadly once he collects the ball in the paint because of his combination of explosiveness and strength. He's got the handle to receive the ball in the high post and drive the lane and also the soft hands to receive the ball well when cutting and finish. He's an excellent offensive rebounder and will get a lot of points on put-backs as he's much faster than other bigs around the basket and has an excellent second jump to beat other guys to the punch after collecting the board. Nene is a basket of potential but will need to continue to refine his post moves, low-block footwork, and face-up game. He's a poor free throw shooter and shooter in general and needs to be in rhythm to hit those shots. He needs reps so he can improve his confidence as a shooter and he's not a great passer.
Defensively, Nene has the tools to be very good in TMBSL. He's got the timing, length, quickness, and leaping ability to be a shot-blocking menace. He's very fluid on defense and has tremendous lateral quickness. He's got the strength to handle his own in the post and should have the quickness to step out to the perimeter and defend, but he's shown a tendency to let guys by him so he can recover and attempt to block their shots...he might not be able to get away with that against TMBSL players. Needs to continue to work on playing good team defense and getting more consistent as a defender to truly maximize his physical tools. He is also a tremendous defensive rebounder who hustles hard and gets to a lot of out of position opportunities.
