Derrick Favors Quietly Putting Up All-Star Numbers for Utah Jazz
By Ryan Aston
@mrmarykateolsen
NBAE/Getty Images
With the Utah Jazz getting off to a surprising 5-7 start, there has been a lot of talk about Gordon Hayward‘s importance to the team and his ascension toward being one of the elite wing players in the NBA. That talk is definitely warranted and Hayward is undeniably a leader on the court and in the Jazz locker room. That said, another player has also helped lead the young team and is quietly filling up the box score in a manner befitting a potential All-Star. That player is Derrick Favors.
Just a year ago, people in the Jazz universe were bemoaning the lack of offensive development in Favors’ game. Another point of consternation was his lack of consistency. After clamoring for Favors to get more minutes while stuck on the bench behind Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson in year’s past, fans were left wanting more last season when he finally got his chance to start. Now, cemented as one of the cornerstone pieces for his club, the 6-foot-10 center is giving the masses more than they could ask for.
Favors is currently seventh in the league in field goal percentage (58.3 percent) and 13th in blocked shots (1.5 swats per contest). At 16.6 points per game, he has also become a focal point of the team’s offense, something once deemed unthinkable by his detractors. He’s also passing the ball better than ever before and continues to improve in that department with each passing game (pun intended?). Once labeled a bust as the No. 3 overall selection of the 2010 draft, Favors now has some people believing he could one day represent the Western Conference at the NBA All-Star game.
Before last season, the Jazz signed Favors to a four-year, $49 million contract extension. A seemingly stiff price for a player who many felt had yet to approach his potential as a basketball player. Just over a year later, with Favors putting up huge numbers and having fully invested himself into his team and its community, it’s looking like the Jazz may have ended up with a bargain for what could be a future All-Star.
Ryan Aston covers the Utah Jazz for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @MrMaryKateOlsen or add him to your network on Google.
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