Kenneth Faried is Best as a Starter for the Denver Nuggets
Faried wanted to start and hated coming off the bench. His numbers suggest that his desire is also best for his production.
After last night’s Denver Nuggets win against the Phoenix Suns, Kenneth Faried opened up about how he feels about starting versus coming off the bench.
“That’s my spot. That’s my spot. I don’t like people taking my spot. I didn’t take kindly to that. Coach knew that. My teammates knew that. I was outspoken about it. I was really upset. But I wanted it and I worked for it. That’s what I wanted to get back.” — Kenneth Faried
There are at least two ways to take that (and probably more). One, you love his comments because you see a deep competitiveness and desire to work in order to attain what you believe to be rightfully yours. On the flip side, you might be irritated that his attitude doesn’t reflect a “team-first” mentality that respects the ultimate authority of a coach’s decision-making power.
Want your voice heard? Join the Nugg Love team!
In a league that values production over most all else, it probably doesn’t matter what our feelings are towards his quote. The fact is that Kenneth Faried produces more for the Denver Nuggets when he’s in a starting role.
Kenneth Faried’s Production This Year When Starting for the Denver Nuggets
I wrote last week about how Faried was struggling from 0-3 feet from the rim. Through the first eight games, all eight of which were off the bench, Faried had a 45.2 percent field goal percentage from that distance. That’s well below average for a guy shooting 65.4 percent from that distance for his career.
In three games since returning to a starting role, Faried is 14-of-23 from 0-3 feet (60.9 percent). That is a huge difference in efficiency, but it’s not the only place Faried is excelling.
Faried was getting essentially the same number of minutes regardless of his role. In eight games off the bench, he averaged 23.8 minutes per game. That average has only gone up by one minute in his three starts. His production, though, is immensely different.
Off the bench, Faried was averaging just 7.4 points and 9.0 boards per game to go along with a paltry 42.2 field goal percentage. As a starter, however, he’s averaging a double-double with 15.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. In addition, he’s shooting 54.8 percent from the field.
Attitude and effort might be reasons for the difference. Faried may also just be more comfortable in a starting role instead of coming off the bench.
Regardless of the, “Why,” the facts remain. Kenneth Faried is performing distinctly better for the Denver Nuggets when he is in the starting five.
More from Nugg Love
This article originally appeared on 
