Kenneth Faried's role could improve

Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried missed the final few games of the preseason due to a hamstring injury, and that is impacting his spot in the rotation to start the season. Coach Brian Shaw told reporters prior to Friday's game against the Trail Blazers he will keep Faried in a reserve role, though that could change down the line.

"I want to get him more minutes," Shaw told NBA.com Friday. "Where he is in the rotation is more a factor from him missing the last preseason games and the practices that go along with that. Trying to get him back up to speed until I feel he’s back into game shape and he's caught up with some of the things he missed because of those practices."

Faried played just 15 minutes in the team's opener, fewer than eight separate players on the team.