Utah Jazz: One goal for every Jazzman in 2018-19

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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – MAY 6: Derrick Favors #15 of the Utah Jazz arrives before the game against the Houston Rockets during Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 6, 2018 at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Derrick Favors – Increase threat as a 3-point shooter

Derrick Favors is the ultimate teammate. He hasn’t been shy about sacrificing minutes or opportunities for the betterment of the team. He’s also been more than willing to diversify his style of play in order to provide himself with further chances to shine. One such way he’s done just that is by adding a 3-point shot to his game.

Favors was far from a sharpshooter from behind the arc, converting on just 22.2 percent of his 0.8 attempts per game. However, the effort was admirable and he showed that the potential to be a corner-three threat was certainly there. For him to further increase his worth as a stretch option and fit alongside Rudy Gobert, he’ll need to continue to see improvements from that area.

Now I’m not saying Favors needs to have his sights set on transforming into a 40 percent shooter from deep (but that would be nice, now wouldn’t it?), but a leap into the 30s is certainly reasonable and should almost be expected. There are plenty of examples of bigs who have adapted to today’s game and significantly increased their 3-point shooting from one season to the next, so I see no reason why Favors couldn’t do the same.

Derrick Favors is such an incredible player to me because he quite frankly has the potential to be a 20-10 guy. As the starting center on most teams, he’d likely be able to do just that. However, because of Rudy Gobert, he’s forced to take on a different role with this Jazz team, but he did so marvelously last year and should continue to do so, especially if he gets more effective from deep, even if it’s only slightly so.

Despite adding a 3-point shot to his repertoire, Favors still shot a career-high 56.3 percent from the field last season. If he’s able to continue that trend by knocking down his shots from mid-range as well as in the key while also improving from deep, just imagine the kind of force that he’ll transform into.

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