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Monday, April 24, 2017

Utah Jazz: Derrick Favors Has to Capitalize on Chance to Redeem Himself

Utah Jazz vs LA Clippers - Full Game Highlights | Game 2 | April 18, 2017 | NBA Playoffs

When Rudy Gobert went down in Game 1 of the Utah Jazzs first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, immediately the difficulty of winning increased dramaticallyfor this Jazz team. Gobert has played such a major role in Utahs success on both ends of the floor that theres truly no way the Jazz could fully replace him.

However, while Goberts absence has and will continue to cause each and every one of his teammates to have to elevate their game to a new level if Utah hopes to come out on top in the series, a significant amountof pressure, combined with an incredible opportunity, nowfacesDerrick Favors more than anybody else on the team.

Favors was once considered one of the key components to this Jazz team. As recently as last season, many had him pinned as even more vital and talented than Rudy Gobert, especially on the offensive end. Derrick came up huge for the Jazz on several occasions during the 2015-16 season and though his team ultimately fell short and missed the playoffs that year, he had certainly emerged as one of the bright points for the future.

Then 2016-17 happened. In a year that has seen more Jazz injuries than one mayconsider fathomable, Derrick Favors has found himself perhaps the most beleaguered with injuries of any of his teammates. That in turn led him to an incredibly disappointingregular season that saw his points per game plummetfrom 16.4 to 9.5, his rebounds drop from 8.1 to 6.1 and his field goal percentage fall from 51.5 percent to 48.7.

That downturn most certainly isnt what Jazz fans had hoped to see out of their 25-year-old power forward who was expected to take massive strides this year.

The Utah Jazz became so accustomed to playing (and quite frankly having significant success) without Favors on the floor or with him playing extremely limited due to injury, that around this years trade deadline there were several fans clamoring for the Jazz to move the six-foot-ten big man. Even now, speculation is high that Favors no longer figures into Utahs long-term plans.

Thats incredible to think about given that a year ago D-Faves was considered untouchable by most.

Of course, one could write off Favorsseason as simply one lost due to injury. Theres no question that he was hampered all year long and perhaps its not fair at all to evaluate his performance under those circumstances. However, his lackluster season begs a handful of legitimate questions such as, can Favors get back to being the player he used to be? If so, can he improve beyond that? Or was 2015-16 his ceiling?

Most pressing of all is the question, will Derrick Favors ever be reliably healthy to the point where he can consistently be a formidable starting power forward/center option for this Jazz team? With all those questions surrounding a Derrick Favors that has struggled to make an impact all season long, he is undoubtedly in dire need of proving himself.

And while Rudys injury was no doubt a major disappointment for every member of this Jazz team, including Favors himself, at the very least Derrickhas to view this setback as an enormous opportunity to redeem what has been a poor season a season thats shaken the teams ability to trust in him and has put his future in Utah in question.

Therefore, despite all that has gone wrong for Favors this season and although he still appears to be far from 100 percent, given that he is currently in better health than he was for much of the year, he has to take advantage of this chance to redeem himself by having a strong showing in the playoffs in Goberts absence.

So far he has done admirably, logging 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting with six rebounds in Game 1 and 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting with seven rebounds in Game 2. However, although Favors was once considered an elite defender (not quite of the same ilk as Gobert but certainly not far behind him), his defense in the series has been less than formidable so far.

Part of that has to do with the amount of time hes being forced to log at center rather than at his preferred power forward position. Certainly it also has to do with his ailing knee. But if Utah hopes to have any chance to win this series and if Derrick truly wants to prove his worth to this team, hes going to have to get it done defensively.

Utahs typical game plan of sticking close to wings on the perimeter and funneling them towards the shot blocker in the paint only works if they have a solid rim protector. They had that all season long in Rudy Gobert and they used to have it with Derrick Favors. It was crucially missing in Game 2, though, andits certainly something theyll need back if they hope to be successful moving forward.

While elevating himself on defense to help prevent the Clippers from matching their 60 points in the paint in Game 2 will be key for Favors, of course it wouldnt hurt to see an uptick in his offensive production and rebounding as well. Derrick was rounding into a consistent double-double threatlast year and especially considering that Utah is accustomed to upwards of 12 boards per game out of Gobert, Favors has to be able to fill the void in that area as well.

Simply put, Favors disappointing season has put him in a situation where his value and importance are being greatly questioned. However, with Gobert out of action, the once formidable big man ought to be licking his chops and relishing in the opportunity to go out there and prove once and for all that he still very much can contribute for this Jazz team and that he ought to figure into their plans beyond this season.

A breakout postseason performance would most certainly go a long way in proving just that.