Kenneth Faried is one of the most likeable players in the NBA nowadays. He comes from a mid-major school, is undersized and has a really cool nickname (the Manimal.) Faried is a classic underdog and has already had a lot of success in his four NBA seasons with the Denver Nuggets. Despite being a good player Faried knows he has things he needs to improve on and he has reportedly said he is working tirelessly this offseason to get better.
Faried reportedly said that he has been in the gym every day this offseason as he looks to improve his game according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Faried is most specifically working on his defensive game as he knows that's an area he needs to step up.
"My defense, I've focused on that, I've been watching film on guys that I consider my toughest matchups, and I've been able to dissect them so that when the season comes around I'm able to guard those players - and become the player I want to be, and that's hopefully defensive player of the year one day and first-team all-defense," said Faried.
Faried has some high aspirations for his defense but he may have trouble reaching those lofty goals as he is a 6 foot-8 power forward which is undersized in the NBA. The Manimal is a tremendous rebounder (11.6 rebounds per 36 minutes for his career) and an incredible athlete but he has just been average on defense thus far in his career. Having great athleticism, like Faried does, is a great tool to have if you want to become a defensive stopper but Faried will have to overcome his size to become a plus defender in the paint.
Faried has also been known in his career as a dunk or bust guy on offense but he says that he has also added some more offensive weapons to his game. Despite his shortcomings Faried has tremendous career numbers. Faried's career averages are 12.2 points and 8.7 rebounds in just 26.9 minutes per game. Faried has started all but 14 of the games he has played in his career yet he has never averaged more than 28 minutes per game in a season. If Faried's tireless work to improve on defense translates to game action he may see more time on the floor and then you can count on him averaging a double-double year in and year out.
