RTC NBA Draft Profiles: Kenneth Faried
Posted by jstevrtc on June 21st, 2011
Over the course of the next month until the NBA Draft on June 23, RTC will be rolling out comprehensive profiles of the 35 collegians we feel have the best chance to hear their names called by David Stern in the first round that night. There won’t be any particular order to the list, but you can scroll back through all the finished profiles by clicking here.
Player Name: Kenneth Faried
School: Morehead State
Height/Weight: 6’8/228 lbs.
NBA Position: Power Forward
Projected Draft Range: Late First Round
Overview: We certainly hope you’ve heard by now… Kenneth Faried is the all-time leading rebounder in college basketball history. He might have played at a little school in a relatively little conference, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this fellow displays less than anything but a rapacious attack on the boards at all times. The only year of his four-year career as an Eagle in which he didn’t lead the OVC in rebounding was his freshman season. In 2007-08, Faried averaged — heh heh — a mere 8.0 RPG (it would eventually become 13.0, 13.0, and 14.5 over the next three seasons) and finished third in the conference. He must have been slacking.
It's Hard To Pass Up (Or Root Against) a Player With a Specific Skill
Will Translate to the NBA: Besides the rebounding, Faried showed a penchant for blocking shots, which should not surprise anyone since both of those skills are based on timing and vertical speed. He led the OVC in blocks in his senior season and finished in the top three in the conference in that statistic in his sophomore through senior years. Faried has a rock-solid physique that helped him body up to anyone defensively that he faced in college, but that outstanding hand speed also helped him finish in the top three in steals in the OVC in each of this last three seasons. His dedication to excelling on the defensive side plus his commitment to glass-cleaning are traits that have several coaches rubbing their hands in anticipation.
Needs Work: With arms and shoulders like Faried has, it’s seems strange to say that he’s lacking in the size department, but as a four in the NBA he’ll be guarding players an inch or two taller and often just as physically imposing. Most of his points came from offensive glass work that yielded putbacks and, only slightly more frequently, possessions where he got the ball within about three feet from the hole and was able to hit a simple layup. He won’t wow you with his varied bag of moves… or many post moves at all, for that matter. And his jumper doesn’t extend beyond eight feet or so; you’ll rarely see him shoot outside of four. These are areas he must improve in to see significant time on the floor in the NBA.
Comparison Players: On the glass, his skill set and body type is reminiscent of one Dennis Rodman. Seriously. He’s long, athletic and has a desire to get each and every ball coming his way without much concern for the other end of the court. We certainly won’t project him to become another Rodman, but nobody in the 1986 NBA Draft saw Rodman becoming Rodman either. For a more modern comparison, Amir Johnson might be in the ballpark as someone who struggles to put points on the board but his per-minute rebounding rate keeps him employed.
Best Case Scenario: Players with specific skills tend to find their way to teams with specific needs. Even if he doesn’t immediately land on a team that has gaping rebounding concerns, if he’s able to clean the glass in the NBA anywhere close to the level he did in college, he’ll play for years in league and — since we’re talking best-case scenario, here — maybe even rack up a few rebounding titles. He’s that good at it.
2014 Projection: Faried is from Newark, New Jersey, and played his college hoops in Morehead, Kentucky. He’s the kind of fellow who does his post-game press conference while bouncing a child on his knee. He has a mother with lupus. He actually spent four years in college. He has the maturity and, in addition to his own personal drive, many things that motivate him. And on top of all that, he has a special skill that all teams love. They don’t expect him to score. Teams expect him to play defense and rebound. He’ll be doing that in the league in three years. We can’t wait to see how well he’s doing it.
Best NBA Fit: Any team that wants to improve its rebounding should give Faried a hard look. This includes the New York Knicks at #17 (28th in rebounding differential), the Washington Wizards at #18 (27th), the New Jersey Nets at #27 (20th), and the Boston Celtics at #25 (19th). Even if Faried never improves his offensive game beyond tip-ins and hustle plays, he should be able to eat enough glass in his minutes to improve any team’s toughness and defense.
Scout’s Take (Chris Denker from Netscouts Basketball): “his tool is rebounding the basketball… he can play for Miami right now and provide a need for them… definite Rodman effect here… a skinny but willing defender.”
