Utah Jazz Best/Worst Case Series: Derrick Favors’ big year ahead

Derrick Favors has the opportunity to have a big year with the Utah Jazz thanks to a solid role on the team and incredible chemistry with his teammates.

Derrick Favors has had one of the more interesting careers of any current player on the Utah Jazz roster. He was traded to Utah in his rookie season, worked his way to bordering stardom, then experienced some injury setbacks that coincided with the rise of Rudy Gobert. This past season, he remained healthy and effective all year long, but saw somewhat of a diminished role as the league continues to move away from traditional big men.

But despite that diminished role, Favors was still as important as ever. He sacrificed playing time when required and stepped up in huge moments when the Jazz needed him to. Despite playing less than 30 minutes per game for the first time in a healthy season since 2012-13, Favors still got the job done. So much so, that the Jazz rewarded him with a hefty two-year, $36 million contract this summer.

Now it’s up to Favors to continue to live up to that contract, which he’ll be able to do in a handful of ways. First of all will be simply maintaining his same work ethic, drive and attitude towards the game and the team. Due to the nature of the league and the unique rise of Rudy Gobert, sometimes Favors may not close games or may experience reduced playing time overall.

He clearly understands this, though, and as he continues to thrive in that situation, he’ll be an incredible asset for the Jazz. At other times, Rudy will have to sacrifice playing time as well, and in those instances, Favors will have to be ready.

Beyond that, Favors also needs to continue to improve. It’s easy to forget that he’s still just 27 years old with plenty of room to grow and adapt into the dominant force he’s capable of becoming. He’s been such a force in years past, and while his role has shifted, he still needs to unleash that beast night in and night out for the Jazz.

If he does those things, he could very well live up to the high best case scenario potential that he’s capable of.

Best Case Scenario

In a best case scenario in 2018-19, Derrick Favors will find a way to capitalize on his new role to re-emerge as a 16-point, 10-rebound kind of guy (even if it’s in less minutes per game) that is a force on offense while maintaining Utah’s staunch rim protection on defense while Gobert is off the floor. He’ll continue to step up big when he’s called upon, but will be willing to step down when certain circumstances arise.

Derrick Favors’ willingness to do what’s best for the team will result in one of the most meaningful and fulfilling years of his career as he shows his personal strengths and elevates the Jazz to new heights. He and Gobert will thrive together, which will not only allow Favors to have more playing time than he would otherwise, but will help himself and the team become a nightmare for opposing teams.

He can help himself in this regard by getting better at stretching the floor with an impeccable mid-range game and a serviceable corner three that will make him all the more versatile.

Last of all, for Favors to reach his best case scenario, he absolutely has to stay healthy. He managed to do so last year and it paid huge dividends for the Jazz. Doing so once again will be a key to Utah’s success in 2018-19.

Worst Case Scenario

Aside from the ever-present risk of injury, Derrick Favors’ worst case scenario almost seems unfathomable due to his stand-up character and relentless work ethic. But essentially, his worst case would be that he simply fails to find a way to mesh with the team next season, sees his role and value drop dramatically and ultimately becomes frustrated with how he’s utilized in Utah.

Based on how things turned out this offseason with the solid contract he received from the Jazz, his awesome piece about why he wanted to stay in Utah and the obvious euphoria from his teammates about him staying with the Jazz, I have a hard time seeing those things happening, but they’re certainly possible.

Another aspect of a worst case scenario for Favors would be if he simply doesn’t show improvement on either end of the floor. If Derrick has largely plateaued, then it would be easier for the Jazz to justify phasing him out in exchange for more versatile small-ball fours such as Jae Crowder, Thabo Sefolosha or maybe even the young Georges Niang.

He’s established a reputation as a hard worker and reliable contributor for the Jazz, but any steps backwards in production would be a bad sign for Favors and the team.

Fortunately, I’m not too worried bout Favors falling anywhere close to a worst case scenario. I honestly think he is due for an incredible year in 2018-19. Gone are the trade rumors. Gone is all the contract speculation. And gone are the concerns about chemistry, fit, etc. Favors understands his role and accepted it eagerly last season. Once the early season wrinkles were ironed out, he was a total stud alongside Gobert and new point guard Ricky Rubio.

Without having to worry about those things in the upcoming season, I think Favors will get out of the gates fast and thrive from Game 1 through Game 82, and beyond. It will be interesting to see what kind of improvements he displays throughout the year, but I believe that Derrick’s best case scenario is very much in reach.