After a recent workout of potential draftees Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan summed up Kenneth Faried perfectly:
“He does everything hard. He ties his shoes hard.”
If you watched him during the NCAA Tournament playing for Morehead State as they were knocking off Louisville and screwing up your brackets, you thought the same thing. He is not polished, probably never really will be, but he busts it hard on every play for every loose ball He wants every rebound worse than you do, which is why he had a modern day record 1,673 boards in college.
The guy who comes to my mind when I see him — Ronny Turiaf. Not terribly skilled but every team could use a big man to come in off the bench and bring that kind of energy. DraftExpress is more kind and thinks his high end is Udonis Haslem in a few years, or he could be Louis Amundson.
He is long and explosive — 6’8” with a 7-foot wingspan, he has the athleticism to get to balls around the rim. He should be able to rebound well at the NBA level. He should be a solid defender in the paint.
His offense can best be described as raw. A lion’s lunch on the Serengeti raw. He has his base moves out of the post, and in college he was athletic and long enough he didn’t need more. In the NBA he’ll need counter moves he doesn’t have yet. He is not scoring you points save on put backs and dunks.
But in a draft where every player has question marks if you know you are going to get energy and rebounding is that worth drafting him over guys who may have higher potential ceilings but are less likely to reach it? Some think so.
DraftExpress has him going No. 20 to the Timberwolves (a good energy change of pace from Kevin Love), Chad Ford at ESPN thinks he falls to 21 and the Portland Trail Blazers. But our NBC man Steve Alexander at Rotoworld has an interesting fit — the Phoenix Suns at 13. May not happen, but athleticism, all that energy and good rebounding are things the Suns could use.
He is basically an assured first round pick, and whichever team gets him the fans will fall in love with him and his energy quickly. He is destined to be a fan favorite.