Utah Jazz editorial: Team needs clarity on the Derrick Favors front

As ever, the marriage between big man Derrick Favors and his team for the last seven years, the Utah Jazz, remains an imperfect one.

I’ve got a serious problem, guys. Despite the fact that I’m pushing 40 and have a child of my own now, my adolescent tendency to roll around the world in old jerseys is running stronger than ever. I mean, why go button-down when you’ve got a powder blue Joe Carter Blue Jays jersey? Forget that sport coat, too, I’m throwing it back to the ABA’s Utah Stars with Ron Boone‘s No. 24.

Without a doubt, unis are my thing. And yet, as a born-and-raised Utah Jazz fan, the only current Jazzman whose jersey hangs in my closet is Derrick Favors. Jersey collecting is a pricey proposition, so I’m pretty selective about what I get, but Faves has been my guy since he came to Utah as a 19-year-old kid. I simply had to have his No. 15.

These days, my man-crush on the Georgia Tech product has been clouded with consternation, though. Favors is still “my guy,” but his fit with the team that I’ve followed for 30-plus years and am now tasked with writing about on a daily basis feels as questionable as it has ever been.

Favors definitely isn’t item one on Utah’s list of early struggles; a lot of things have contributed to the team’s disappointing start this season. An insane schedule, some NBA rule changes and ill-timed injuries have put them in a bind and the Jazz have only compounded those problems with bad defense, worse shooting and wavering focus.

Regardless, something is clearly amiss. The seven-plus-year marriage between Favors and the Jazz has always been an imperfect one, but it’s been especially problematic lately.

When Favors has been on the floor this season, the Jazz have largely been a mess. Per 100 possessions, they’re scoring just 97.9 points in those circumstances, an abysmal number any way you slice it. Moreover, there’s been a 9.2 points/100 poss. positive swing when he hits the bench.

That’s really, really bad.

Offensively, he and Rudy Gobert together just aren’t working. Favors has worked to add a 3-point shot to his arsenal and eliminate the space crunch there, but he’s still only attempting 1.2 triples per game and hitting them at a paltry 29-percent clip. And despite the duo’s defensive prowess, they cost the Jazz some switchability there, too.

It’s weird because, overall, Favors is still an awesome player individually.

Per 36 minutes, he’s logging a 17-11 line, which is his best since the 2015-16 campaign. Meanwhile, his block rate is the highest its been since the ’12-13 season and his true shooting percentage, offensive rebounding rate, dunk rate and box plus/minus numbers are all on career-high pace.

Everything about his play, even as he’s still figuring out his 3-point game, says he should be a positive force on the floor for the Jazz.

But he’s not…and it’s not close. So what’s the solution?

Some say it’s to trade him, which could be the answer for both parties. Favors is sacrificing a lot individually to play second fiddle to Gobert in Utah’s frontcourt. In spite of that sacrifice, the team’s twin-tower attack fails to connect with the jaws of the opposition much more than it should.

On the other hand, Favors is playing too well to not be helping his team win games. He’s still an elite rim finisher, a topflight defender and he combines with Joe Ingles to form the Jazz’s best pick-and-roll weapon. The onus may just be on Jazz coach Quin Snyder to put him and the team in a better position to yield positive results together.

However it happens, a resolution just needs to be found. The Jazz may have a whole host of issues currently, but this is one that definitely needs solving.

Whether or not that means I can keep rocking my D-Faves throwback (I certainly hope it does) remains to be seen. But one way or another, something has to give.