Denver Nuggets’ Kenneth Faried to take the next step?
Although the Denver Nuggets have reportedly had discussions about trading power forward Kenneth Faried, there is almost no way they would get equal value for him. They will likely wind up holding on to him and will likely extend him in the near future.
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Based on how he played down the stretch, Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders believes Faried is ready to take the next step.
"In just three seasons in the league, Faried has managed to earn the nickname the “Manimal.” While his numbers haven’t necessarily reflected overall dominance, there is no reason to doubt that he won’t one day be there. Faried averaged 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last season with the Nuggets and thus far has increased his production in each season in the league. His average was helped by an outstanding second half of the season in which he averaged 18.8 points and 10.1 rebounds. It seems like after the All-Star break Faried really started to grasp new head coach Brian Shaw’s offense and his play on the court showed that. As the season progressed, Faried became more aggressive down low, which allowed him to draw more fouls and get to the free throw line more."
Faried averaged 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 54.5% from the free throw line. In his three-year career, he’s gone for 12.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists , 1.0 blocks and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 55.4% from the floor and 64.0% from the charity stripe.
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