Utah Jazz: Derrick Favors proves yet again just how invaluable he is

After yet another impressive showing in Wednesday’s Game 2, Derrick Favors further solidified his case as one of the most invaluable players on the Utah Jazz roster.

Donovan Mitchell will receive all the hype for carrying the Utah Jazz to their impressive Game 2 win, and deservedly so for netting a whopping 13 points in the final period of play. Rudy Gobert will be heavily praised for his effort against Oklahoma City Thunder big man Steven Adams who struggled with foul trouble and eventually left the game early in a pivotal Game 2.

Both of them indeed played key roles in Utah’s win on Wednesday and they certainly have earned any and all praise coming their way. However, it’s entirely possible that neither of them would have been in a position to help their team win had it not been for the incredibly solid play of Derrick Favors.

Favors has often seemed like the odd man out for the Jazz. Between balancing playing power forward alongside Gobert or backing him up at the center spot in a small-ball league, his role has required ample sacrifice and adjustments to ensure that he can be as effective as possible for the Jazz.

The versatility that he’s developed was on display in full force during Wednesday’s win as Favors knocked down two threes, something which would have been unheard of a year ago. Fun fact – Favors is now shooting 66.7 percent from deep during the playoffs after converting on just 22.2 percent of such shots during the regular season. Small sample size or not, Joe Ingles better start watching his back!

But not only did Favors aid the Jazz offensively with a pair of floor-stretching threes to go along with 20 points on 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) shooting, but his inner center came out in monstrous form as he gobbled 16 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive end. He also was crucial defensively on both Steven Adams and Carmelo Anthony, playing a key role in the former fouling out.

Simply put, Favors was a beast on both ends of the court.

But despite that performance that was far from an anomaly and much closer to the norm of what Favors is capable of, he’s still often times been the forgotten man for the Jazz. Part of that has to do with the meteoric rises of Rudy Gobert, beginning last season while Favs was hurt, and of Donovan Mitchell, who of course has taken the league by storm this season.

Mitchell and Gobert may seem more unique on the surface because of their distinct skill sets, but if you ask me, Favors is just as unique, albeit in a different (and less flashy) way. What am I referring to, you ask? Well, what truly sets Favors apart is that he comes out every single night and not only competes hard and gives his all, but does precisely what the team needs him to.

If that need is to go for 20 points while gobbling 16 boards and carrying the team on his back as he did on Wednesday night, then so be it. If it’s to only log 22 minutes and finish with single digit points and rebounds due to matchup concerns, then he’ll tackle that task as well. And you can bet that he’ll work his butt off in those 22 minutes while he’s at it.

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When scrolling through Favors’ regular season box scores, there’s a lot of jumping around between those two kinds of stats. A double-double here, a low scoring outing there, a high-rebounding game with few points followed by a game that’s vice versa. His minutes change dramatically game-by-game from the low 20’s to the high 30’s.

These varying numbers may lead a casual observer to believe that Favors is inconsistent. Is such the case?

Heck no.

Not by a long shot.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say that when truly following Favors’ impact on this team, he’s been one of the most consistent of them all. Perhaps the numbers don’t always show it, but he’s as steady as they come and he proves his consistency by consistently being exactly what Utah needs him to be.

And that’s exactly what makes him so valuable to this Jazz team. It’s exactly why he played such a critical role in Wednesday’s bout. It’s exactly why Utah wouldn’t be anywhere close to the same team without him. Had they even made the playoffs, they definitely wouldn’t be tied a game apiece with the OKC Thunder without Favors’ services.

Fortunately, while Favors may fly under the radar to the national media and sometimes to his own fanbase, that’s far from the case among his teammates. Those doing battle in the trenches with him are some of the quickest to recognize the impact he has for the team.

Donovan Mitchell’s post-game interview immediately following the Game 2 win was a perfect example of that. “Without Faves, we wouldn’t even be at this point,” he stated, just moments after praising how hard Derrick played to earn the win.

Later, when all four of Mitchell, Gobert, Favors and Ricky Rubio were at the post-game podium, Mitchell was quick to give nearly all the credit for the win to D-Faves himself, with Rubio and Gobert clearly agreeing wholeheartedly.

Favors is entrenched in this team’s chemistry. He does everything the team asks of him and more without any thought of self or uttering a complaint. That’s sometimes meant ceding time to other guys such as Gobert or Jae Crowder. Other times, it’s meant adapting his game to add a three-point shot or to space the floor differently to best fit his teammates. And at other moments, it’s meant taking complete control and willing the Jazz to victory, like it did in Game 2.

No matter what it’s meant, Derrick Favors has been absolutely invaluable to the Jazz in every situation.

There’s a long ways to go in these playoffs and Favors will still certainly have plenty more to show for this Jazz team. But unfortunately, no matter how far Utah goes into the postseason, Favors inevitable unrestricted free agency is going to surface this summer. Does Derrick have a desire to stay with the Jazz? Does Utah have the willingness to throw the money at him that it would require to keep him?

I don’t know the answer to those questions. Despite prior speculation that Faves would almost certainly leave, he’s shown a lot of signs to the contrary in recent months. Without taking future plans into account, the Jazz are definitely in a financial state right now where they could make something work, even if it weren’t at the level that lottery-bound teams with ample cap space such as Dallas, Atlanta or Phoenix could throw at him. But is that a priority for them?

Next: Utah Jazz at OKC Thunder Game 2: Derrick and Donovan Dominate

In short, there are a lot of unknowns regarding Derrick Favors’ future and where both he and the Jazz stand on it. However, in my mind, he’s proven absolutely critical to this team’s success and has quietly, almost covertly, become one of the most important players on the roster.

And if I’m the Jazz, I do everything in my power this summer to ensure that he stays right where he is.