2011 NBA Mock Draft: How Good Will Kenneth Faried Be in the NBA?

2011 NBA Mock Draft Looks at Kenneth Faried's Potential in the NBA

The 6'8", 230 pound Morehead State senior is known for one thing: rebounding.

Nobody in college basketball rebounded the ball like the Eagles' power forward and his future in the NBA will hinge largely on how he handles the bigger bodies around him.

Faried led his small, 13th-seeded team to an upset victory over Louisville in the first round of this year's NCAA Tournament and got national recognition that he was long overdue to deserve.

Moving onto the NBA is different animal though, and he is undersized as true power forward, but can't play the three either.

 

READ MORE: Fear the Beard: The Best Beards in the NBA, Position by Position

 

So what do we make of Kenneth Faried, a player who according to ESPN Stat Gurus had the third highest rebounding rate in the last thirty years, as an NBA player?  

Well, the two players in front of him are Keon Clark (who unfortunately ran into some personal problems that including drinking on the job) and Shaquille O'Neal (a name you might remember).

Now Faried is no Keon Clark, and no Shaq either, but along with his 14.5 rebounds per game as a senior, he also averaged two blocks (2.3 p/g) and nearly two steals (1.9 p/g), has all the makings of a legitimate hustle player with starter ability.

The stat gurus write:

Of the players who compare well to Faried, chances are that you know a few. How about DeMarcus Cousins, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shawn Marion, Jerome Kersey or Antonio McDyess? 

And the one thing that we know from all these names is that Faried is going to work his tail off to make things happen.

Could he be a lottery pick? Possibly. Will it matter to him either way? Probably not.

Whoever makes Kenneth Faried their first round pick will not be disappointed.