The Washington Wizards head into the 2015-16 season with largely the same roster as they have had for the past few years with a few minor changes. For the most part the core of the team is still intact but changes might come in the way of the starting lineup. For the past three seasons Nene has mostly been the starting power forward for the Wizards alongside Marcin Gortat but this season it seems as though head coach Randy Wittman is leaning towards starting Kris Humphries there, according to Zach Lowe of Grantland.
Wittman reportedly has not decided yet officially whether Humphries will be the starter but it seems as though that's the way it'll go. Nene has started the majority of the Wizards games since he's been with them the past three years but he is now 33 years old and he has become less effective in each successive year since joining Washington. Last season Nene's PER was all the way down to a 14.3 which is the worst it has ever been in a relatively full season.
Nene could still be a helpful piece off the bench for the Wizards but he is not the same player he was and making a change at power forward seems wise. In his first year with the Wizards Humphries was extremely effective as he averaged 8.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in just 21 minutes per game while also playing some of the best defense of his career. Humphries is a similar player to Nene in that they can both make mid-range jump shots consistently but at this point in his career Humphries is a better rebounder and overall player.
Back when he was with the New Jersey Nets from 2010-2012 Humphries had a couple of seasons where he averaged a double-double so he is certainly capable of being an effective starter. The 30 year old plays with very good energy and doesn't need the ball to be effective as he will crash the offensive glass to get his scoring opportunities.
Nene is scheduled to make $13 million this year in the final year of his contract while Humphries is scheduled to make just over $4.5 million this season so the decision to start Humphries over Nene won't be an easy one but if Wittman ultimately decides to make that call it will likely be the correct one.
