Utah Jazz: Derrick Favors looks to have saved his best for last

In what could potentially be his final go-round as starting PF for the Utah Jazz, Derrick Favors is firing on all cylinders.

Few could have predicted what was about to happen when, with 7:37 left in the first half against the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks, Derrick Favors received a bounce pass from Joe Ingles on a nifty bit of screen-roll action. Had he known, Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova definitely would’ve taken a different course of action.

Unfortunately for him, Ilyasova was one of the unknowing masses. So, instead of bailing on the play, he was on the receiving end of one of the nastiest throw-downs you’ll ever see in the Association.

The poor guy didn’t know what hit him.

Favors’ monster jam was fantastic; a SportsCenter Top 10-type play. Really, though, it was just the icing on the cake of what’s been an incredible year for the 27-year-old.

In the final guaranteed year of his contract — and, depending on what happens this summer, possibly the end of a near decade-long run in Jazzland — he’s quietly playing the best ball of his life.

On the surface, he’s not the 16-8 guy he was a few years back, but he’s been as effective as ever on a minute-to-minute basis. Per 36, Favors is averaging nearly 18 points and 12 boards. He’s also posting a true shooting percentage of 61.7, a box plus/minus score of 3.9 and an individual offensive rating of 123.

The latter three numbers represent career highs.

As good as he’s been, though, Favors has seemingly saved his best for the stretch run. Over his last five games, he’s averaging 16 points, 12 boards and more than two blocks per contest, while shooting 65 percent from the floor and 85 percent from the charity stripe.

The Jazz went 4-1 in those games, with their only loss coming in a double-OT thriller against the Oklahoma City Thunder; a game in which Favors hit 10 of 11 shots, scored 24 points and was a team-high 16 points positive in the plus/minus department.

So, yeah…that one wasn’t exactly on him.

While numbers are nice, Favors’ effect on his team recently goes well beyond stats. Although he’s a quiet guy by nature, he’s been the beating heart of the squad, with a game that’s speaking volumes. His effort has rubbed off on and energized his teammates on both ends of the court.

He’s not crossing people over, banging triples down left and right or throwing behind-the-back passes; Favors is simply getting the job done and helping his team win games.

There’s a reason Mitchell called Favors the MVP of the Bucks win on a night when he himself scored a career-high 46 points, and he may just be right.

Still, his future in Utah remains uncertain. Can the Jazz get the most out of their offense with Favors, Ricky Rubio and Rudy Gobert sharing the court? Would the floor-spacing be better served with a more mobile, playmaking four? Would Favors be better served in a featured role as some other team’s five man?

Those questions are agonizing to explore when you’re talking about a guy who grew up as both a player and a person in Salt Lake City and sacrificed individual accolades to take on a reduced role for the good of the team. Not to mention the fact that he’s consistently performed at a high level in spite of that role.

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All that being said, whether this is his last go-round with the Jazz or just the final 20-game stretch until postseason play tips off, my advice to Jazz fans would be to enjoy everything Favors is doing.

It may not capture the headlines every night like a highlight reel dunk, but it’s every bit as spectacular in its own, understated way.