DENVER, April 27, 2012 – Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for April after helping Denver to a 10-4 record that clinched the team’s ninth consecutive playoff berth.
Faried, selected by the Nuggets 22nd overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, averaged 11.6 points and 9.1 rebounds in April and recorded six double-doubles.
On April 9 against Golden State, he posted career highs of 27 points and 17 rebounds, becoming the first player in the shot-clock era to have at least 27 points and 17 rebounds while playing less than 25 minutes.
The Nuggets, who clinched the No. 6 seed in the West, were 6-0 in April when Faried registered a double-double and 11-1 on the season.
Faried tied Ricky Rubio for the rookie lead in double-doubles in 2011-12 and he also led all NBA rookies in rebound average (7.7), field-goal percentage (.586) and PER (21.94).
Faried is the third player in Nuggets history to be named rookie of the month and the first since Carmelo Anthony in April 2004. Anthony won the award six times, while Dikembe Mutombo received the honor twice during the 1991-92 season.