Veteran center Nene believes guard Russell Westbrook is the “perfect player” to have next to James Harden in the new-look Houston Rockets backcourt.

In speaking with Fox 26 Houston’s sports director Mark Berman, the 18-year NBA veteran said of the newly acquired Westbrook:

That dude’s a beast. He’s the perfect player to play next to James Harden, to support him and help take the Rockets to the highest point possible.

Westbrook was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2017 after tallying 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists per game. That made Westbrook the first NBA player to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson in the 1961-62 season, and he has since averaged triple-doubles in the last two seasons, too.

Meanwhile, Harden won the MVP award in 2018 and finished second in 2019 voting after averaging a career-high 36.1 points per game last season, along with 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds.

Nene spoke Friday shortly after he officially re-signed with Houston for the 2019-20 NBA season. Now 36 years old, the Brazilian big man has averaged 6.8 points (58.6% shooting) and 3.6 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game with the Rockets over the past three seasons.

“They’ve been good to me since the first day,” Nene said of the Rockets when speaking with Berman about his decision to return.

“They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. When they talked to me about signing the first time, I had been through a lot of adversity. The Houston Rockets, they’ve been good to me. That’s why.”

Nene and 19-year veteran Tyson Chandler are expected to back up starting center Clint Capela while also helping to mentor younger players. Nene is the last active player from his 2002 NBA Draft class.