[Elite_video_player id=”31″]
The Denver Nuggets experimented with different lineups and rotations as the preseason started to wind down, trying to find out what exactly works best with the current roster. In their season opener Wednesday night on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans, there was a familiar name missing from the starting lineup not named Gary Harris, who continues to rehab from a groin tear.
The “Manimal,” Kenneth Faried.
Faried has spent the last four years featured in Denver’s starting lineup, becoming perhaps the face of the franchise with his electric play in which he was rewarded with a four-year, $50 million extension in 2014. Faried is a fan favorite amongst Nuggets’ fans, wowing the crowd night-in and night-out with his hustle and ability to rebound the basketball.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone elected to go with the two bigs whom the Nuggets are very high on in Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic — it paid dividends game one. Nurkic finished with a team-high 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, collecting nine rebounds, three assists, and one block. Jokic, on the other hand, wasn’t very aggressive offensively, scoring just five points on 2-of-5 shooting, but added seven rebounds and two assists in a winning effort.
Faried, Denver’s first-round draft pick in 2011, checked in with 3:29 remaining in the first quarter. Despite coming off the bench, Faried still managed to log 28 minutes, scoring nine points on 3-of-9 shooting. Worth mentioning, Faried was very active on both the offensive and defensive glass, tallying a total of 14 rebounds — eight defensive, six offensive.
Off the bench, Faried will see his normal share of minutes, averaging roughly 26.6 over his entire six-year career, while playing against other bench units. Faried profiles to be a second option with the second unit, demonstrating that extra hustle whether it’s on the glass or having active hands in the passing lanes.
Faried also recorded two steals in Denver’s 107-102 victory, finishing the game with a +2 plus/minus. The only downside of Faried’s game Wednesday night was that he managed to turn the ball over three times, although the Nuggets as a whole failed miserably to protect the ball. Every player that touched the floor Wednesday night committed a turnover, besides Juan Hernangomez who logged less than a minute of playing time.
After game one, though in very small sample size, Faried logged the fourth best player efficiency rating on the team, posting a +12.7. The only three players ahead of him were Jusuf Nurkic, Will Barton, and Danilo Gallinari respectively.
Having Jokic and Nurkic in the starting lineup sets the tone for Denver in how they want to dictate the game, wearing down the opposition both offensive and defensively. Time will tell exactly how well this rotation might work, but when Denver has the ability to throw a changeup off the bench with Faried and his energy, teams will have to plan and prepare to adjust to their style of play.
