Denver Nuggets: Manimal’s Arrival May Be Too late
In Kenneth Faried‘s last three games, representing the last 100 minutes that he’s been on the court for the Denver Nuggets, the forward has compiled 63 points and 58 rebounds and has made 27 of his last 45 shots. The past two games — a 106-102 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday and a 116-102 loss to the Toronto Raptors loss on Sunday — have been Faried’s best in the 2014-15 season.
Faried has shown the “Manimal” side we all expected to see by averaging 21.5 points and 22 rebounds in the past two games. It’s a welcoming sight for Nuggets nation becuase we’ve been waiting for games like this since Faried signed his big four-year, $50-million contract extension this past offseason.
It looks like we’re finally seeing the Faried we all expected after watching him shine alongside Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving in the FIBA World Cup this past summer, where Faried was named to the all-tournament team.
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Faried’s recently shown signs of the player we saw during Team USA’s gold medal run this past summer. In the past five games the Nuggets forward is averaging 15 points and 14.6 rebounds on 53.4 percent shooting, which represents a big increase over his seasonal averages of 11.6 points and 7.8 rebounds a game.
Plus, based on reports from the Denver Post, Faried and head coach Brian Shaw may have finallllly “ironed out their differences” which is a great sign for the Nuggets and Faried’s fantasy owners.
Heck, point guard Ty Lawson even told the Denver Post that Faried is, “playing like he was toward the end of last year.” Meaning Faried is playing like he was post All-Star break last season when he averaged 20.2 points and 13.2 rebounds a game.
The Nuggets haven’t been much of a threat this season with Faried not playing like we expected him too, but even now that he’s having games of 20 points and 20 rebounds it may be too late to save the Denver Nuggets’ season.
Even with Faried making some noise and putting up 17 points and 19 rebounds against Toronto on Sunday, the Nuggets still lost at home — to a team on the second night of a back to back. Even with Faried logging 20 points and 14 rebounds against the Brooklyn Nets last Tuesday, the Nuggets couldn’t make enough plays late and the team lost 102-96.
By losing 10 out of 15 games in December, the Nuggets may have dug a hole even the Manimal can’t jump out of. They’re currently trailing the Portland Trail Blazers by 11.5 games for the division, and the Phoenix Suns by 4.5 games for the eight seed, and final playoff spot, in the Western Conference.
They’re looking up at the New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference standings, and all three of those teams have looked more like a playoff team than the Nuggets so far this season.
No, the fat lady isn’t signing on the Nuggets’ season just yet, but she’s warming up in her dressing room. Ty Lawson is still tied for the league in assists per game at 10.3, and anytime your starting point guard is sharing the ball that well you can tread water for awhile. It’s hard to imagine the Nuggets continuing to struggle if if Faried continues to put up 20 and 10, as those numbers combined with Lawson’s averages of 16.2 points and 10.3 assists a game are usually good enough for a Nuggets win.
Faried and Lawson playing like the Nuggets’ two best players is a big part, but it’s not all of the equation that will turn this seasons around. They’re going to need some help from Wilson Chandler, Arron Afflalo, Nate Robinson, and any player attempting a three-pointer as well, because as I mentioned last week, better shooting is critical.
The Nuggets have only won four of the 12 games they’ve shot under 30 percent from three-point range. However, they’ve won nine of the 19 games where they’ve shot over 30 percent from three.
The Nuggets’ current three point average of 31.7 percent has to improve, and Faried and Lawson have to continue to play well, AND it has to happen now if the Nuggets want to save their season and give themselves a chance at the playoffs. The Manimal has arrived, but even with big games from him, it may be too late.