Last Updated on July 26, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Loose balls, missed shots, and broken possessions seemed to find Kenneth Faried, whose relentless pursuit of every rebound often gave his team an extra chance before opponents could react. He lived above the rim as a finisher, sprinted the floor without hesitation, and brought an infectious intensity that was most obvious in the hustle plays many players simply never reached.

Here’s the detailed information on Kenneth Faried:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Kenneth Bernard Faried Lewis
  • Nationality: American
  • Age: Born November 19, 1989
  • Hometown: Newark, New Jersey
  • Height: 6’8″ (2.03 m)
  • Weight: 220 lbs (100 kg)
  • Wingspan: 7’0″ (2.13 m)
  • Shoe Size: 15 (US)
  • Number: Wore #35 throughout most of his NBA career
  • Position: Power Forward / Center
  • High School: Technology High School, Newark, New Jersey
  • College: Morehead State University (2007–2011)
  • NBA Draft: 2011 NBA Draft, 22nd overall pick by the Denver Nuggets
  • Teams Played For:
    • Denver Nuggets (2011–2018)
    • Brooklyn Nets (2018–2019)
    • Houston Rockets (2019)
    • Played internationally and in minor leagues after the NBA, including stints in China and Puerto Rico.
  • Championship Rings: None
  • Kids: Has a daughter named Kyra
  • Siblings: Not publicly available

Player Archetype / Play Style

Kenneth Faried’s player archetype was that of an energy big and undersized interior finisher — a relentless rebounder who made his mark through activity, second jumps, and nonstop effort rather than polished shot creation or floor spacing. Defensively, he was most effective as a chaos-and-hustle frontcourt piece who could clean the glass, generate extra possessions, and play with physical edge, though his size and awareness limitations made him less dependable as a true anchor in structured half-court defense. Offensively, his role was narrow but productive: run the floor, dive hard, finish around the rim, crash for putbacks, and score off sheer force and timing instead of post craft or perimeter skill. His physical traits — strong build, explosive leaping, quick second bounce, and high-end motor — defined almost everything he did on the court. Overall, Faried played like a tempo-raising, momentum-swinging power forward whose rebounding, interior energy, and constant activity made him valuable, even if the modern game exposed the limits of his all-effort, low-skill offensive profile.

Scouting Report

Kenneth Faried played as though every missed shot belonged to him before it even left the shooter’s hand. His anticipation around the rim was exceptional, not because he guessed correctly, but because he tracked the flight of the ball so early that he often had rebounding position secured before bigger opponents reacted. That’s what separated him. Offensively he thrived as a relentless finisher rather than a creator, sprinting into early offence, diving hard out of pick-and-rolls, slipping behind defenders for lob finishes and generating second-chance points through sheer persistence around the glass. He rarely complicated possessions, and in many ways that simplicity was his greatest strength. The trade-off came when teams asked him to operate outside those comfort zones. He wasn’t stretching the floor, creating from the elbows or consistently making advanced reads on the short roll, so defences could shrink the court if they weren’t worried about the players around him. Defensively he covered ground quickly enough to rotate as the low man and challenge shots at the rim, and his second jump allowed him to contest multiple efforts in the same possession, but his eagerness could also work against him. Pump fakes and patient post scorers frequently drew him off his feet, while longer frontcourt players who established deep seals made life difficult because he gave away both height and reach. To me, Faried’s ideal role was alongside a centre who handled the primary rim-protection responsibilities while allowing him to fly around as the weak-side rebounder, transition runner and energy source in the dunker spot. It’s easy to overlook how much pressure his offensive rebounding placed on opposing defences because every extra possession forced another full defensive stand. His game shared similarities with Montrezl Harrell in the way both generated offence through rim pressure and activity rather than isolation skill, while there were also shades of Reggie Evans, particularly in the instinctive rebounding, physicality and willingness to do the exhausting work inside that rarely appears in the box score beyond another recovered possession.

Sources:

NBADraft.net — Kenneth Faried
Denver Stiffs — Nuggets Year in Review: Kenneth Faried
Denver Stiffs — Trading Kenneth Faried: Pro
Denver Stiffs — Pickaxes and O’s: The growing pains of blending Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic on offense