Utah Jazz: Three reasons for and against keeping Derrick Favors

The fit is unfortunately awkward

Let’s face it – if Derrick Favors could simply be Utah’s full-time backup center behind Rudy Gobert at an affordable price, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. Favors is a as hard of a worker as they come, an excellent energy guy and a beast on both ends of the floor as a rim protector and paint presence extraordinaire.

The trouble is that he’s far too skilled to just be a backup logging minutes while Gobert rests. That also means that he costs more than a typical backup would as well. In short, he’s too talented to demote to a bench position because of what he brings to the team.

So instead, he starts at power forward, which in today’s NBA isn’t exactly the best spot for him. His attempt to extend his game beyond the 3-point line has been gallant, but at just 21.8 percent efficiency this past season, it isn’t exactly working out.

What has made Derrick’s fit in the starting lineup the most painful, though, is that when paired with Rudy Gobert AND Ricky Rubio, it has resulted in three non-shooters which has been an absolute death knell to Utah’s offense. With three out of five guys in the starting lineup being essentially non-factors beyond 10-15 feet, the Jazz are relatively easy to defend and this has led to many of their offensive struggles.

While I think it’s that trio that’s more of the issue, the awkward pairing has led many to believe that Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors simply can’t play with one another effectively. Both are lumbering big men upwards of six-foot-ten and in today’s league where pace and space is all the buzz, it isn’t hard to see where that theory may come from.

In reality, the most effective position for both Gobert and Favors is the center spot, and they’re both deserving of starter minutes at that slot. However, since that is an impossible task, with Favors being too talented and highly paid to merely be a backup, and with Favors’ minutes at the four being less than profitable, there’s definitely an argument to be had that the Jazz should simply bite the bullet and move on from him since Gobert is already fully slotted as Utah’s guy at the five-spot.

This decision is by no means a poor reflection on Favors as a player, but rather an unfortunate side effect of having a perennial DPOY in Rudy Gobert eating up space and opportunity that Favors would need to truly thrive and maximize his abilities and lucrative contract.