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Michael Malone praises Kenneth Faried for "being a pro" despite frustration over inconsistent role

November 27, 2017

A little more than a week ago, Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone called Kenneth Faried into his office. Due to the logjam at power forward, Faried’s minutes were at an unprecedented low. Malone could tell the lack of playing time was frustrating his seven-year veteran. So Malone offered Faried some words of encouragement and left him with a simple mandate: Stay ready.

“‘I know you’re frustrated. I’m OK with that. I know you’re pissed off. I’m OK with that,'” Malone said Sunday, thinking back to their conversation. “‘But right now you’re being a pro. You’re being positive. You’re on the bench helping your teammates out. I need you to continue to do that.’ Like we always tell our guys, ‘It’s a long season. Things change. You’re going to be called upon at some point.'”

Malone was right. Paul Millsap suffered a left wrist injury Nov. 19 against the Los Angeles Lakers that will sideline him for an extended period of time. Suddenly, a gaping hole at power forward opened up at power forward, which Faried has already been asked to help fill.

Faried started against the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 20, earned a DNP-Coach’s Decision against the Rockets on Wednesday then was back in the starting lineup vs. the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Despite Malone’s decision to not play Faried on Wednesday, it appears likely that Faried will earn the majority of the starts at power forward while Millsap is sidelined.

Malone said he wants to establish consistency in the rotation with Millsap out. Pairing Nikola Jokic and Faried in the frontcourt seems like the most logical move with the way their offensive games fit together like puzzle pieces. Last season, the Jokic-Faried combination scorched opponents for 121 points per 100 possessions in 479 minutes of floor time.

“Nikola is really skilled, and Kenneth is really athletic,” Malone said. “What sets Kenneth apart from most people is he’s an elite runner, he’s an elite offensive rebounder, and he’s an elite athlete. I think the pass Nikola threw to Kenneth whatever that game was was one of the best I’ve ever seen.”

Malone was referring to the alley-oop Faried threw down in a Nov. 11 win over the Orlando Magic. Jokic chucked a pass from half court so high, Nuggets play-by-play announcer Chris Marlowe didn’t think Faried could get to it.

“That’s too high,” Marlowe said while the ball was in the air.

“OHHH, IT’S NOT TOO HIGH,” Marlowe said after Faried threw it down.

Jokic and Faried can be electric in transition, but they’re also a deadly combination in the half court. On Friday, Denver torched Memphis for 61 points in the first half.

Faried took nearly three-quarters of his field-goal attempts from 4 feet or less last season, per Cleaning The Glass. He lives near the blocks and short corners in half-court sets. His defender is often presented with the dilemma of knowing when to help on drives. If he remains locked onto Faried, that gives Nuggets players driving hoop an open lane to the rim. If he helps, that frees up Faried for what he does best: dunking the basketball.

“For me, it’s just playing basketball and playing my game,” Faried said. “Knowing my strengths and weaknesses. Playing in that short corner and being a great rebounder. I’m able to have defenses key in on me because they want to box me out.”

The first quarter of the season might not have gone the way Faried had hoped. After declaring “I am a starter” in the preseason, Faried is averaging a career-low 11.9 minutes per game. Minutes were hard to come by with Millsap in the lineup. But while Millsap recovers from a wrist injury, the opportunity is there for Faried to step in and take on a larger role.

“Kenneth has been a pro, and he’s had a great attitude,” Malone said. “We need him to continue to do that going forward.”