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| Kenneth Faried has become a breakout star for Team USA in the 2014 FIBA World Cup. |
It's officially football season -- although it's still a little early for that wonderful fall weather -- but something non-football related has caught my attention: Kenneth Faried in group-play of the FIBA World Cup.
Now, to be honest, I haven't watched Team USA play a single game of the tournament, so far. But one thing I cannot ignore is that every time I flip on "SportsCenter," the Manimal is on my screen, posterizing some 7-footer from a random eastern European country. If he's not throwing down monster jams on a fast break, he's swatting some poor wing player's layup attempt into the 14th row. He seems to be the biggest star of this year's U.S. Men's national basketball squad.
For those of us familiar with Faried from watching him play for the Denver Nuggets, his high-energy play is nothing new.
This guy's already good, but his potential is great.
He physical, he plays with a warrior's mentality and isn't afraid to do the hard work needed to get an offensive rebound. His size is ridiculous, standing 6-foot-8, 228 pounds, and his work ethic is made of the kind of stuff that makes NBA franchises shell out a few extra million dollars to keep a player around for the long haul.
According to various sources from around the NBA, Faried has expressed his interest in staying in Denver and has been in talks with the Nuggets' organization over a contract extention.
The 2011 first-round draft pick is coming into his third season with the Nuggets. Last season Faried averaged 13.7 points per game, along with 8.6 rebounds. Faried posted 15 points and 11 rebounds in a Team USA win over New Zealand on Tuesday, and he led Team USA with a 22-point performance in a win over Turkey two days before that. There was even a point during last week's games in which the power forward was shooting 80 percent from the field.
"Overall, from the start of training camp, he's been the biggest and best surprise and has turned out to be a very, very important player for us," U.S. coach Mike Kryzyzewski said of Faried. "He's made that happen. We never call a play for him."
Hopefully, Faried's trend will continue to grow for Team USA, and NBA fans will get to see some of what the Manimal has to offer come November, too.
The NBA Preseason starts Saturday, Oct. 4, the regular season begins Tuesday, Oct. 28, and the Nuggets begin regular-season play Saturday, Nov. 1 vs. Oklahoma City.
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Extra Point: In 2013, the Nuggets ranked second in regular-season team rebounding percentage, averaging 45.4 per game, second only to the Portland Trailblazers, who averaged 46.4 per game, respectively.
