Feb 28, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) shoots the ball over Oklahoma City Thunder forward Domantas Sabonis (3) during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Derrick Favors suffered through a season of injuries in 2016-17, his seventh with the Utah Jazz. How did his year stack up, and what are his prospects moving forward?
Although he is still just 25 years old, Derrick Favors has performed in a lot of roles during his NBA career. After being drafted third overall in 2010 by the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets, he was traded to the Utah Jazz midseason as part of the deal that sent Deron Williams east.
Since then, he spent time as a backup big before being promoted to a starting spot at power forward with the Jazz, a gig he's held since the 2013-14 season. Now though, things are changing that might undermine this role, much less his future in Utah.
Still though, he was an important contributor to a team that won 50 games, starting for stretches and coming off the bench at multiple positions.
In 2016-17, Favors averaged 9.5 points and 6.1 rebounds on 48.7 percent shooting. To go with this, he also put up 0.8 steals and 0.9 blocks per game, solid numbers for someone who played in just 23.7 minutes per contest.
However, his season shouldn't be remembered by the numbers alone. Other factors influence how the Jazz front office and fanbase alike should look back on Favors' year.
We'll get into his strengths and weaknesses, as well as what he should look for moving forward in his professional career, whether with the Jazz or not.
Mar 1, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) looks to pass as Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) defends during the first quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Strengths
Favors is a throwback at the power forward spot, meaning he uses his 6'10", 265-pound frame to post up, run pick-and-rolls, and rebound. This is a far cry from the modern combo forward duties that often dictate spot-up jumpers, dribble handoffs, and otherwise perimeter-focused play.
Playing him at the 4 does have its drawbacks, as we'll get into on the next slide, so perhaps it's not a surprise that Favors began spending more and more time at the center position this year. According to Basketball-Reference, he played 54 percent of his minutes at the 5 in 2016-17.
However, when he is matched up with a smaller opponent, Favors can take advantage of them in the post, putting up 0.89 points per possession on such instances. He also excels as the roll man in the pick-and-roll, putting up 0.96 points per possession, although this comes into play mostly when he's functioning as a center.
Finishing around the hoop is one of Favors' strong points. He shot 61 percent from inside three feet last year, and has the ability to get up for some big dunks from dump-off passes.
Defensively is where Favors makes the most impact. Per Basketball-Reference, he had the fourth-best defensive rating on the Jazz at 102, but his skills go far beyond efficient, team-oriented defense.
Around the hoop, opponents shot nearly eight percentage points lower than their normal averages with Favors as the primary defender, according to NBA.com. He accomplishes this through rejecting shots (1.2 blocks per 36 minutes) and by maintaining solid positioning without fouling.
You wouldn't expect him to be able to slide with ball-handlers on the perimeter due to his size, but Favors actually grades out favorably in terms of pick-and-roll defense, ranking in the 70th percentile switching onto guards, per Synergy.
Jan 8, 2017; Memphis, TN, USA; Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) center Rudy Gobert (27) and guard George Hill (3) react during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Utah Jazz 88-79. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Weaknesses
The biggest drawback of Favors' offensive game is his shooting, or lack thereof. He took just 10 three-point attempts on the season, and looks to be completely incapable of stretching his game out behind the arc to say the least.
In total, he ranked in just the 15th percentile on spot-up possessions, shooting 43.4 percent on catch-and-shoot jumpers mostly from the 16-foot midrange area. This flaw isn't as much of an issue when the Jazz play him at the 5, but when sharing the floor with another non-shooting big in Rudy Gobert, the lack of spacing can adversely affect both players.
As his injuries have affected his ability to move fluidly, Favors' effectiveness in terms of off-ball movement has tanked, leaving him more or less rooted under the basket.
Recently, he's given Jazz fans more reason to place doubt in him due to his injury history, missing 32 and 20 games the last two seasons. In 2016-17, he was often ineffective due to recovery and rust even when he was playing, which led to his reduced minutes load in the playoffs.
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If he is matched up against a stretch-4 or combo forward, Favors often will close out ineffectively, surrendering jump shots from deep.
His abilities under the hoop are also squandered in this eventuality, and while he defends decently in isolation, there's no question that he's better around the rim.
Some problems do arise when playing Favors at center, most notably his rebounding.
Averaging a paltry 9.3 boards per 36 minutes, Favors' total rebounding rate sits nearly seven percentage points below Gobert's (14.9 to 21.8).
He has too much ability to be called a tweener, but to some degree, Favors has no position of specialty in the modern NBA.
Nov 12, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) looks to pass the ball against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Moving Forward
Favors has one year left on the extension he signed in 2014, after which he'll be an unrestricted free agent. Given the current salary cap state, he's in line for a pay increase from his current salary of $11 million.
The Jazz will have other financial commitments weighing at that time, including Rudy Gobeert's $96 million extension and possibly new contracts going out to Gordon Hayward, George Hill or Joe Ingles.
If the Jazz want to speed up the process, they could look to a find a home for Favors on the trade market, although it's difficult to think of another team that would acquire him as a rental.
Starting Gobert next to Favors long-term could be a viable solution economically, but it does run contrary to the trends that the NBA is finding effective. The Jazz made efforts to stagger Favors and Gobert even while starting both this year, but that often led to one or the other being shortchanged playing time.
Digging into the lineup data reveals Favors to be slightly less-than-satisfactory operating as a lone big man with a combo forward playing the 4 next to him. This season, the duo of Gobert and Joe Johnson had a +10.0 net rating, while Favors and Johnson posted a -1.4 value.
There's a little bit of variability to these numbers – Favors was more apt to share the floor with bench units, for one, but the takeaways ring true nonetheless.
Even if he wants to play more center going forward (which will be the case wherever he goes), Favors should still focus on developing his shooting. Being able to nail a 10-foot jumper on pick-and-pops and face-up opportunities would make his offensive stock rise significantly.
Favors is certainly a talented player, but the fact that the Jazz were 18-14 in games he did not play in makes him a bit redundant for a team expecting to incur some expenses going forward.
Make sure to check back over the next few weeks as we review the seasons of more Utah Jazz players.
