| Kenneth Faried |
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| All Tweets | Updated DraftExpress scouting reports on Cole Aldrich, Paul George, Charles Garcia and Kenneth Faried. http://bit.ly/dbI5v2
2010-03-10 20:58:01 | Kenneth Faried's last game? RT @ESPN_CollHoops: Murray St punches ticket to tourney w/win over Morehead St, 62-51 in Ohio Valley title game.
2010-03-06 23:45:04 | Is what he is RT @KMaistri: Do u think Kenneth Faried can improve his stock by staying for another year? Or he is what he is at this point?
2010-01-22 14:46:33 | | Top 25s - Full List |
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| NCAA Weekly Performers, 3/10/10
March 10, 2010
Joseph Treutlein
Posting very similar numbers to what he did as a sophomore, Kenneth Faried has just concluded another extremely productive season at Morehead State, leading the country in rebounds per 40 minutes pace adjusted. Faried also slightly increased his scoring output this season, continuing to show brief flashes of offensive development.
Physically, there’s not much new to say about Faried, an extremely explosive and reactive athlete who runs the floor like a deer and finishes very well around the rim. The majority of his scoring contributions come from his excellent ability to catch the ball in mid air and dunk it, either in transition, on alley-oops, cuts through the lane, or just getting open around the rim. He has excellent hands and the hand-eye coordination to go with it, catching and finishing virtually everything thrown his way.
The other area Faried provides strong contributions on the offensive end is with his unbelievable rebounding ability, as he shows excellent timing, positioning, and leaping ability in that regard. His motor is non-stop both in regards to rebounding and getting open without the ball, constantly moving, reading the defense, and trying to post up his man.
In terms of creating his own offense, Faried is still very raw, showing flashes of post-up and face-up ability at times, but nothing really at an NBA level. Facing up, he can put the ball on the floor for one or two dribbles in a straight line, where he has a good first step and rangy strides for a power forward, but can’t really do much else with it, not really having any change of direction ability with the ball. He’s not a very good handler in the open floor either, lacking fluidity and comfort with the ball moving at such a high speed.
In the post, Faried is incredibly reliant on turning left shoulder, strongly favoring his right hand and a right-handed hook shot in particular. He finishes decently well in the post at this level, but that’s mainly going against undersized fours in mid-major play, and it’s hard to project any of that translating to the next level should he remain a frontcourt player.
The biggest thing Faried could stand to work on offensively is developing his mid-range jumper, as he rarely puts up jump shots at all, and when he does, it’s often with very poor results. Considering the rate he gets to the free-throw line, that’s even more reason for him to develop his jumper, as he could add more offensive value to a team if he was finishing at a rate higher than 58% from the line.
He’s also a very poor passer statistically, garnering an assist on just 4% of his possessions, which is amongst the worst rates in college basketball at his position. That might have something to do with his role on Morehead State, though, as its unlikely that any NBA team would rely on him anywhere near as heavily on him offensively as his college team currently does.
Defensively, there are serious concerns about what NBA position Faried is going to play, as he plays almost exclusively at the center position in Morehead State’s 3-2 zone, virtually never allowing him to venture onto the perimeter and get into a perimeter stance. Given his athletic abilities, it’s not outlandish to think he could develop the lateral quickness to match against 3’s in the NBA, and that’s certainly something NBA teams will want to evaluate in private workouts, because at 6’8 with a narrow frame, Faried doesn’t project as a great defender at the 4 position.
Even in college, he is constantly pushed off the block by stronger players, struggling to maintain post position, forcing him to overplay entry passes in the paint to try and steal the ball, leading to some easy scores. As a help defender, Faried uses his length well both in the passing lanes and in the paint, blocking and stealing a decent amount of shots, though he doesn’t project as a big-time shot blocker in the pros by any stretch.
Looking forward, Faried probably isn’t going to develop a ton more as a senior, and spending another year playing the 5 position in a 3-2 zone in a low-major conference, giving him no opportunities to improve his perimeter defense, probably isn’t going to help his pro prospects much, seeing how that is the biggest question mark in translating his game to the NBA.
Should he declare, Faried should be firmly in second round discussions, and may even get some looks in the late first, as his ability to catch and finish combined with his dominating rebounding will both be seen as valuable assets, while his extremely high motor and intensity level are likewise appealing. The fact that his mother is battling health problems seems to make it more likely that he will put his name in this year’s draft, and it was reported that she would like to see him declare for this year’s draft (“he's ready to go.”)
Missing out on an NCAA tournament appearance (his team was defeated in the championship game of Ohio Valley conference tournament by a very good Murray State team) does hurt him a bit, as he could have used the exposure of a high-profile matchup to prove that he can compete against the elite teams in college basketball.
 [Read Full Article]
Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Non-BCS Conferences, Part Two
November 4, 2009
Jonathan Givony
Featuring some of the most eye popping numbers in college basketball and a style of play that is bound to endear him to NBA scouts, Kenneth Faried has been overdue for a mention on this site for quite some time now. Only a junior, and a young one at that, Faried’s per-minute production has jumped off the page since the moment he stepped foot on an NCAA court.
Not particularly big at around 6-8, and showing a narrow frame that could definitely use some extra bulk, Faried’s physical attributes don’t overwhelm you on first glance. He’s a good athlete—quick, reactive, agile and showing a terrific second bounce—but it’s his intensity and aggressiveness that makes him the player he is.
Faried is the top-returning rebounder in college basketball, grabbing an outrageous 17.1 rebounds per-40 minutes pace adjusted, which ranked right below DeJuan Blair last season. He displays all of the characteristics that most of the great rebounders do—showing outstanding hands, instincts, timing and reflexes pursuing loose balls ferociously, relishing contact and not having any problem sacrificing his body to help his team come up with an extra possession.
Offensively, Faried has made big strides over the past few years, but still projects as a role-player at best against higher level competition. He does an excellent job finishing around the basket thanks to his toughness, aggressiveness and solid explosiveness, usually finishing above the rim in emphatic fashion. His face-up game has improved quite a bit, being capable of taking his man off the dribble with nice footwork and hitting a decent amount of mid-range jumpers last season. While certainly prone to trying to do too much at times (leading to some questionable shots and turnovers), Faried appears to have an above average basketball IQ, being a solid passer who seems to understand the game fairly well. He gets to the free throw line at a terrific rate, but only converts 58% of his attempts once there.
On the downside, Faried’s skill-level is not extraordinarily high, as most of his production still comes from sheer will and tenacity. His ball-handling skills are improvable, his jump-shot still way too streaky, and his post game underdeveloped. Faried will need to continue to bulk up and polish his all-around skill-set if he’s to prove to scouts that his OVC numbers can translate to a much higher level of competition than he’s accustomed to.
Defensively, Faried is somewhat of a mixed bag. If projected as a power forward at the next level, he could have all kinds of issues guarding some of the more traditional big men he’ll find in the NBA, as he lacks both size and strength. It’s doubtful that he has any experience at all guarding perimeter players, though, as he spends most of his time at the 5-spot for Morehead State.
On the other hand, you can’t teach the type of hustle and aggressiveness that Faried brings to the table, and you surely can’t ignore his propensity for making big plays on the defensive end. Beyond his rebounding skills, he does a terrific job at getting steals and blocks, averaging 2.5 per-40 pace adjusted in both categories. Players with comparable characteristics, such as DeMarre Carroll and Renaldo Balkman, were drafted in the first round regardless of their tweener status, and Faried could make a similar case.
The NBA has shied away less and less as of late from players with less than ideal physical attributes, granted they can bring a team something extra in the toughness and activity level category. Faried will likely get his fair share of looks from teams this season, and still has another year of NCAA eligibility at his disposal if he doesn’t like what he’s hearing about his draft stock this spring.
[Read Full Article]
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