Utah Jazz big man Derrick Favors is set to do battle with the man some fans are hoping will eventually replace him in Tobias Harris.
Ask 100 well-informed Utah Jazz fans who their top targets for the team in trades or free agency are and I’d be willing to bet that a senatorial 60 would name-check LA Clippers forward Tobias Harris at or near the No. 1 spot. In the modern NBA, Harris’ floor-spacing and playmaking skills could be an ideal fit next to Rudy Gobert.
Of course, Derrick Favors would probably have something to say about that.
Remember him? Longest tenured Jazzman? Dude who put up big numbers on a team-friendly deal for most of his eight years? Quietly having one of his best years from per-minute and efficiency standpoints? Elite rim finisher? Righteous dude?
Yeah, that guy.
A contingent of the Jazzland masses may be pondering a future without D-Favs, but you can bank on the fact that he’s only concerned with the here and now. And right here, right now, Favors and Harris are primed to do battle when the Jazz travel to La-La Land to take on the Clippers on Wednesday.
I’m a Favors guy, to be sure, but he may have his work cut out for him on this one.
Harris was a revelation for the Clippers after joining the team in the Blake Griffin deal last season. This year, he’s playing like a true All-Star, averaging 21 points and eight boards per game with shooting splits of 50-44-88.
Although the Clippers have scuffled recently, dropping three straight contests, they’ve been in the upper third of the West table all season long thanks in large part to his efforts.
Tobias Harris scores a game-high 28 PTS & helps the @LAClippers overcome a 15 point deficit at home! #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/7N4dKdO788
— NBA (@NBA) January 7, 2019
Favs, meanwhile, is ever the steadying presence in the Jazz frontcourt. His basic numbers may be down a bit when compared to his heyday, but he’s really playing as well as ever. Per 36 minutes, he’s putting up 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks per game.
Also — his effective field goal percentage of 59.5 is a career best by a college mile and he’s still scoring on attempts within three feet of the hoop at a rate over 70 percent.
Despite the challenges presented by Harris, Favors and the Jazz have actually acquitted themselves rather well against him in 10 head-to-head match-ups. Utah is 7-3 in those games and Harris has been held to just 38 percent shooting along the way. For his part, Favors averages 13-10 and nearly three blocks per game.
The last time the Jazz and the Clips got it on, April 5 of last year, Favors scored 16 points to Harris’ 11 in a 117-95 rout for the gold, green and blue crew.
Regardless, Harris’ mobility and shooting prowess both present major challenges for Favors. Multiple players will probably have their moments on him defensively, specifically the more mobile Jae Crowder, but Favs will still have to be on-point in his screen-roll D and on close-outs.
If he can do that while helping to make life just a little bit harder on the Clippers on the other side of the floor, it’ll go a long way toward helping the Jazz pick up their seventh win in eight games. He may just make a few fans grateful for what they’ve got, too.
The Jazz and the Clippers will tip it off from Staples Center in Los Angeles at 8:30 PM MT on Wednesday night.