Kenneth Faried Injury: Updates on Nuggets Star's Ankle and Return

Denver Nuggets star Kenneth Faried suffered a sprained ankle that kept him out of the lineup against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 22. However, he's ready to return.

Continue for updates.

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Faried Will Play vs. Dallas Mavericks

Saturday, Nov. 28

Nuggets broadcaster Jason Kosmicki reported Faried will play Saturday night.

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How Faried's Return Impacts Nuggets

After an encouraging rookie season, Faried has since largely underwhelmed on the court, with the exception of the 2014 FIBA World Cup. The expected jumps in the three seasons to follow never materialized.

This season, Faried has averaged 12.5 points and 9.1 rebounds while shooting 58 percent from the field. 

In 75 games last year, he averaged 12.6 points and 8.9 rebounds a game. Particularly concerning was his inability to score outside the restricted area, per NBA.com:

Distance	FGM	FGA	FG%
Less than 5 feet	308	522	59.0%
5-9 feet	44	141	31.2%
10-14 feet	10	33	30.3%
15-19 feet	10	32	31.3%
20-24 feet	1	2	50.0%
25-40+ feet	0	6	0%

Faried was basically a slightly lesser version of DeAndre Jordan.

You could argue the Nuggets have only made the situation worse for themselves—first by acquiring a player who's almost a carbon copy of Faried, J.J. Hickson, and then by signing Faried to a four-year, $50 million extension last year.

While you wouldn't consider Denver among the favorites to make the playoffs in the stacked Western Conference, the Nuggets could finish in the top eight if everything breaks their way this year. At the very least, they should be an improvement on last year's team.

Having Faried back and healthy makes the Nuggets more dangerous as they look to climb in the Western Conference.