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Ranking The Top NBA Players By Age: Age 26

By Gerald Bourguet

Dec 31, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) shoots against Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) in the second half at Toyota Center. The Warriors won 114 to 110. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) shoots against Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) in the second half at Toyota Center. The Warriors won 114 to 110. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 14, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) runs up court during the first half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Kenneth Faried

The Denver Nuggets are building something good in the Mile High City following the arrival of head coach Mike Malone, but it’s a bit odd that Kenneth Faried doesn’t feel like a long-term piece in it. It’s not that he’s a bad locker room presence or anything like that; quite the opposite. But at what point do we worry that his individual numbers aren’t where we hoped they’d be at this point?

Faried’s third season was his best, with the rangy 6’8″ power forward averaging a career high 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game on 54.5 percent shooting. The following season, those numbers dipped to 12.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game on 50.7 percent shooting. This year, they’re down to 12.5 points and 8.7 boards per game, though he’s shooting a career high 55.9 percent.

To be fair, Faried’s minutes have dipped a bit this season with the emergence of Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic and Joffrey Lauvergne.

But after earning a four-year, $50 million extension and impressing at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, he hasn’t really built his game. He’ll have games where he looks like an absolute monster, but at some point, energy, offensive rebounds, chase-down blocks and hustle points won’t be enough to hide the lack of substantial improvement in his game.

Next: No. 9