When he leaps, his long hair braids shoot off in different directions, like Jackson Pollock's paint splattering the canvas. His eyes, fierce, pierce. And then there are his hands. In sports, folks use the description of "paws." But these are claws. They snatch. As a potential rebound floats in the air, these claws, spanning a 10.3-inch width, come suddenly surging toward the ball, as broadcasters' voices crescendo: "Far-ieeeeeeeed with the rebound!"
"The kid fights, you know? He finds a way," Nuggets executive Masai Ujiri said of Kenneth Faried, his starting power forward. "And he's an athletic, crazy freak. We want to see him continue to grow."
Last season, as a rookie, Faried began getting extensive playing time after the all-star break and averaged 8.4 rebounds per game from that point onward. And his 3.5 offensive rebounds per game in that stretch, if it had been for a full season, would have been good for ninth in the league. Per time played, Faried led all NBA players in offensive rebounding rate, according to ESPN's stats.
"You're not going to get it every time, of course," Faried said of offensive rebounding. "But even when you think it's a make, think it's a miss and just go."
Coach George Karl speaks blissfully about offensive rebounding as an extra possession, the way, in contrast, he views a missed poor shot as a turnover. This is why the Nuggets thrive on offense. They don't have to run plays for Faried, who isn't as polished as other players, because of his ability to crash the boards and get tip-ins or dunks.
"Keeping the ball alive," Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson said.
The 6-foot-8, 228-pound Faried appears to have all the attributes to become one of the NBA's best overall rebounders. Maybe of his generation. Consider that he set the NCAA career record for rebounds at Morehead State. Then, he didn't have a summer league or a normal-length training camp due to the lockout a year ago, so he missed
weeks of training from Denver's coaches about the NBA nuances of board-crashing. Oh, and he didn't play much in the first third of the season as he tried to catch up.So now, the 22-year old Faried is coming off a productive summer and flourishing during the preseason, soaring and scoring.
"High energy and has a big-time motor, which you can't teach, and he has skill to go with it," said Warriors coach Mark Jackson, who watched Faried torch his team for 27 points and 17 boards — in just 24 minutes, last spring. "He's a weapon that George uses extremely well. He's definitely a guy who you want to match his motor, or you're going to have a problem all night long.
"You've got to be committed to keep a body on him, and if you're not committed, you're going to pay the price. And I don't think it's just one guy's responsibility. A guy that talented and gifted at crashing the boards, you need your perimeter guys to gang rebounds and go in and get those long ones."
There has been much gush about Nuggets big man JaVale McGee working out with Hakeem Olajuwon this summer. But Faried was there, too, living a dream while soaking in the dream shake.
Asked what he gained from the experience, Faried said: "What didn't I gain from being with him? He's a great person, polite, respectful and his basketball skills are amazing, his footwork, the way he maneuvers in the post."
But that leads to the question: Just how many opportunities will Faried get
to dream shake? The Nuggets have arguably eight other guys who can flirt with a double-digit scoring average. Faried will have to look at his possessions as precious, and continue to crash the board to get the ball."I think he's now more confident offensively," Karl said, "though I still want him to be more consistent with the basics. We need our big guys to run, rebound, screen and do the fundamentals before we worry about them scoring. The way we play will give our big guys a chance to score if they play the right way."
On media day, after Faried and friends walked onto the stage, showcasing Denver's new golden skyline uniforms, Ujiri was asked about the kid with the big hair and the big hands. Sitting next to Ujiri was team president Josh Kroenke, who chimed in about Faried's growth as a pro.
"A lot of it's on Kenneth at this point in his career," Kroenke said. "He showed he has the tenacity and ability to go out and score and rebound on an NBA level. Can he develop the touch to go with it? It's going to be a product of what he wants to do going forward. If he keeps going, the sky is the limit for him."
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294, bhochman@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nuggetsnews
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