The Rockets should re-sign Kenneth Faried this summer

Kenneth Faried was one of the best additions by Daryl Morey last season and the Houston Rockets should re-sign him this summer.

In the early parts of the 2018-19 season, Kenneth Faried struggled to find playing time on the Brooklyn Nets, a middle of the pack team in the Eastern Conference without any elite front court talent.

At 6-foot-8, Faried is viewed as too small to play center by most teams and he isn’t much of a 3-point shooter, which has basically become must-have skill to play big minutes as a power forward in today’s game.

As a result, Brooklyn cut Faried in the early parts of the season, and Rockets GM Daryl Morey saw an opportunity to bring The Manimal to Houston and slide him down to the center spot.

With Nene in and out with various health problems and Clint Capela nursing a thumb injury, Faried couldn’t have come at a better time. The 29-year-old contributed in a big way, averaging 16.2 points and 10.4 rebounds over his first 10 games with the Rockets.

Fortunately, Capela returned from his injury and was ready to go in time for the postseason, and the Rockets often played without a center during the playoffs, so Faried didn’t get a lot of playing time after the end of the regular season.

However, Houston’s center position is mostly plug and play. If you can rebound, set screens, roll to the hoop and catch lobs, James Harden and Chris Paul will make you look like a star. Due to Houston’s elite floor spacing, both Capela and Faried get easy looks at the rim, resulting in a sky-high field goal percentages.

Recent reports indicated that the Rockets were willing to move any player outside of James Harden in order to build a better team for next season and that Houston is interested in a superstar like Kawhi Leonard.

Clint Capela would likely be included in any blockbuster deal, as he is the team’s youngest core player and has a more team-friendly contract than Chris Paul. If the Rockets were to move on from Capela, Faried would be a solid option to help shoulder the load at center next season.