Fansided

Denver Nuggets’ Kenneth Faried impressing Team USA

By Andrew Melnick

Jul 30, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Team USA forward Kenneth Faried (33) talks with guard DeMar DeRozan (45) during a practice session at Mendenhall Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 30, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Team USA forward Kenneth Faried (33) talks with guard DeMar DeRozan (45) during a practice session at Mendenhall Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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Although Denver Nuggets’ forward Kenneth Faried is one of the better young players in the NBA, he is often at the center of rumors. The Nuggets reportedly would like to keep him and now that he has made the United States’ FIBA World Cup squad, it is easy to see why.

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Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders has been very impressed with Faried’s performance for Team USA.

"Faried has actually played better in stretches than I anticipated from him in this setting. He’s actually a bit more versatile than I realized, so that has been nice to see. I’ve actually wanted to see more from DeRozan since he had such a good training camp with the team, but he hasn’t gotten quite as much consistent playing time as I would have liked to see from him. Rudy Gay’s unique build and skill set made it so that he’s being used as a bit of a hybrid forward and is taking some of the minutes DeRozan may have gotten. I will say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how dominant this roster has looked in the practice games and today’s throttling of Finland. Many of us were worried about the lack of “star power” and questions about leadership, but they certainly haven’t looked as though they were struggling in either department. We’ll see how well they hold things together as we get deeper into the tournament and against some of the heavier competition."

Any solid performance Faried can put together is a very good thing for his future as he looks for a new contract.

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, the 22nd-overall pick of the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft has 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.

Be sure to check FanSided’s official NBA page to keep up to date on the latest news and rumors from around the league all summer long.

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