Kenneth Faried has been missed by Denver.
Whether you like him or not, Kenneth Faried’s absence has been hurting the Denver Nuggets so far.
He may be the greatest offensive asset in terms of scoring the rock, but he does do a lot of the dirty work. It has been said before that every teams needs a work horse like Faried on their squad.
During this stretch where Denver has gone 1-2, the Nuggets could have used his production in a few different aspects of these games. They really could have used his hustle and energy in the loss against the Memphis Grizzlies the other day.
With him scrapping and clawing for a few more boards, it could have been the difference in the Nuggets winning by a small margin compared to losing in the way they did. Faried does a lot of intangibles that other players such as Gallinari, Chandler, and Barton lack.
Denver Nuggets
Without him providing the team with his skill-set, limited as it might be, the squad is that much more vulnerable. Faried serves a purpose that is much like Tristan Thompson for the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
There is a reason that LeBron James pushed so hard for his team to retain Thompson. James understood that type of player has a place on every single team in the entire league. Guess what, Faried is that type of player for the Denver Nuggets. Despite a rather up and down season for the Manimal, he has still be putting up solid numbers.
He is averaging nearly 10 points per game and is also averaging 7.8 rebounds per game as well. He is grabbing 12.8 boards per 36 minutes on top of the fact that he has increased his offensive rating from 116 last year to 125 this season.
His effective field goal percentage is also at a solid 56% to couple with an identical basic field goal percentage of 56% as well.
Whether you want to admit it or not, the Nuggets have severely missed Kenneth Faried and what he brings to the table.