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In his rookie season Derrick Favors was traded to the Utah Jazz in the Deron Williams trade. He went to the bench but his production and development have improved slowly but surely. Many fans want to see more playing time for the 21-year old, but it looks like the Jazz are taking the slow and steady approach when it comes to his development.
It is worth noting the Jazz held on to impending free-agent big men Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson as they are in a tight race to make the playoffs for the second straight season under Tyrone Corbin. That surely means that, in the short-term, Favors will remain at the 21-22 minutes per game, but either of those guys leaving as free-agents will open up a bigger opportunity.
I have to wonder if Marvin Williams will be back in Salt Lake City next season (article on Williams 2012-13 season so far is HERE), and if the Jazz do split, there are even more minutes available for Favors. The young man has shown that he can produce bigger numbers when you give him a bit more playing time so I am excited about his 2013-14 outlook. He certainly needs to develop his low post moves to go with his ability to finish at the rim, but even at his current pace for development I can see a double-double average in his very near future.
A main reason for optimism is Williams’ desire to work very hard, and when you couple that with his potential I think what we have is a legit NBA contributor. Hard to say at this point if he will ever achieve All Star status, but the fact that he can be an impactful defender will give him a chance if he can continue to develop offensively.
The Jazz are on an 8-2 stretch in the last 10 games Favors scored 10 or more points, so he may be young and may have work to do, but when he provides a boost off the bench the Jazz win games. Going forward that is only going to get better and better for Favors and the Jazz.
Craig Ballard is a NFL/NBA/MLB writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @craigballard77, and you can find all of his articles HERE
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