On June 23, 2011, Faried was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 22nd overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft.
Prior to his rookie season, he earned the nickname "Manimal", for playing hard and fearlessly.
He appeared in 46 games (39 starts) in his rookie year, recording 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 22.5 minutes.
He posted career highs of 27 points and 17 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors on April 9, 2012, becoming the first player in the shot-clock era to have at least 27 points and 17 rebounds while playing less than 25 minutes.
He went on to be named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for April.
He finished third in NBA Rookie of the Year voting for the 2011–12 season, and earned NBA All-Rookie Team honors.

On November 12, 2012, Faried was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, November 5, through Sunday, November 11.
It was his first and so far only player of the week award of his career.
Three days later, he posted 16 points and a career-high 20 rebounds (career-high 11 offensive) in 36 minutes against the Miami Heat.
On December 12, he recorded a season-high 26 points, 14 rebounds and career-high three steals in 38 minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On February 15, 2013, he was named MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge, where he recorded 40 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes for the winning side as Team Chuck beat Team Shaq 163–135.

On February 3, 2014, Faried recorded a career-high 28 points to go along with 11 rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers.
He registered a new career high with 32 points on 14-of-20 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 7.
He posted 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in 27 minutes on April 2 against the New Orleans Pelicans, becoming the first player in NBA history to record those numbers while playing 27 minutes or less.
He recorded 24 points to go along with a career-high 21 rebounds against the Utah Jazz on April 12.

On October 8, 2014, Faried signed a multi-year contract extension with the Nuggets.
On December 26, he had a career-high 25 rebounds to go along with 26 points, as the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves 106–102.
On April 12, 2015, he scored a season-high 30 points in a 122–111 win over the Sacramento Kings.

On November 3, 2015, Faried scored a season-high 28 points in a 120–109 win over the Lakers.
On March 6, 2016, he recorded 25 points and a season-high 20 rebounds in a 116–114 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Faried suffered through a sore back for much of the 2016–17 season and caused him to miss 15 games overall, most of which were in February, March and the final games in April.
He played through the pain in many others.
He played in 61 games overall with averages of 9.6 points and 7.5 rebounds in 21.2 minutes, all career lows.

His role shifted to the bench over his final two years in Denver, especially after the Nuggets signed Paul Millsap in 2017.
Faried's role diminished in 2017–18 as he averaged career lows of 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest in just 32 games.
On June 23, 2011, Faried was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 22nd overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. Prior to his rookie season, he earned the nickname "Manimal", for playing hard and fearlessly. He appeared in 46 games (39 starts) in his rookie year, recording 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 22.5 minutes. He posted career highs of 27 points and 17 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors on April 9, 2012, becoming the first player in the shot-clock era to have at least 27 points and 17 rebounds while playing less than 25 minutes. He went on to be named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for April. He finished third in NBA Rookie of the Year voting for the 2011–12 season, and earned NBA All-Rookie Team honors.
On November 12, 2012, Faried was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, November 5, through Sunday, November 11. It was his first and so far only player of the week award of his career. Three days later, he posted 16 points and a career-high 20 rebounds (career-high 11 offensive) in 36 minutes against the Miami Heat. On December 12, he recorded a season-high 26 points, 14 rebounds and career-high three steals in 38 minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On February 15, 2013, he was named MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge, where he recorded 40 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes for the winning side as Team Chuck beat Team Shaq 163–135.
On February 3, 2014, Faried recorded a career-high 28 points to go along with 11 rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers. He registered a new career high with 32 points on 14-of-20 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 7. He posted 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in 27 minutes on April 2 against the New Orleans Pelicans, becoming the first player in NBA history to record those numbers while playing 27 minutes or less. He recorded 24 points to go along with a career-high 21 rebounds against the Utah Jazz on April 12.
On October 8, 2014, Faried signed a multi-year contract extension with the Nuggets. On December 26, he had a career-high 25 rebounds to go along with 26 points, as the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves 106–102. On April 12, 2015, he scored a season-high 30 points in a 122–111 win over the Sacramento Kings.
On November 3, 2015, Faried scored a season-high 28 points in a 120–109 win over the Lakers. On March 6, 2016, he recorded 25 points and a season-high 20 rebounds in a 116–114 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Faried suffered through a sore back for much of the 2016–17 season and caused him to miss 15 games overall, most of which were in February, March and the final games in April. He played through the pain in many others. He played in 61 games overall with averages of 9.6 points and 7.5 rebounds in 21.2 minutes, all career lows.
His role shifted to the bench over his final two years in Denver, especially after the Nuggets signed Paul Millsap in 2017. Faried's role diminished in 2017–18 as he averaged career lows of 5.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest in just 32 games.
Kenneth Faried