Nuggets' Kenneth Faried: Starts at power forward Saturday, could stick in role

Faried started at power forward in Saturday's 106-95 loss to the Pistons, finishing with eight points (4-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-2 FT), eight rebounds, two blocks and one assist in 21 minutes.

Analysis:

Faried's inclusion in the starting five over Nikola Jokic was a surprising decision, but it was apparently an idea posited by Jokic himself, according to Harrison Wind of BSN Denver. With the starting frontcourt pairing of Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic faltering in the early going, it seems like a good possibility that Faried will continue starting, though it won't necessarily translate into an enhanced role for him. In fact, the 21 minutes Faried played in his first start Saturday was actually less than his season average (23.6 minutes per game).