Ranking the Top 10 Power Forwards In the NBA
By Connor Cook
Number 8: Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets
2012-13 Numbers: 11.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 18.7 PER
In just two years, Kenneth Faried has become one of the league’s most exciting players to watch, given his ferocious rebounding skill, unstoppable motor, and thunderous dunks. In his second year, he’s started every game for the Nuggets and nearly averaged a double-double. He balls hard, rebounding like crazy and helping set the Nuggets’ fast paced offense in motion. And as efficient Paul Millsap is on offense, Faried might be even more so, taking 65% of his shots at the rim, which leads to a 55.9% true shooting percentage, good for top 20 in the league.
Like Millsap, Faried struggles on defense in part due to his size and in part due to his team. Like Millsap, he’s an undersized forward at 6-8, which limits his defensive ability. Since he starts every game for the Nuggets, he faces each team’s best power forward, whom are usually larger than him, which causes him to struggle mightily in spot-up and post-up scenarios defensively. Hopefully more development and extended time with defensive wizard Andre Iguodala can help Faried progress as a player.