Utah Jazz: 3 reasons keeping Derrick Favors is a good move
By Amaar Burton
3. Familiarity and continuity
Favors was a reliable and productive contributor for the Jazz last season. He tied with Rubio for the second-most games started, making 77 starts. With Gobert limited to 56 games due to injuries, Favors was the team’s most consistent presence in the paint.
Only eight players in franchise history have played more seasons (8) in a #UtahJazz uniform than Derrick Favors. (Stockton, Malone, Eaton, Griffith, Bailey, Ostertag, Kirilenko, Russell)
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JeremiahJensen) July 2, 2018
By keeping Favors, the Jazz are set to bring back the core of an up-and-coming contender in the Western Conference: Rubio, Mitchell, Favors, Gobert and small forward Joe Ingles will return intact as a starting five.
Ingles is the elder statesman of that lineup at 30 years old. Favors, Gobert and Ingles have been teammates since 2014.
Favors’ return will also be big for the Jazz because the team doesn’t have another power forward that projects as a quality starter on a playoff team. Jonas Jerebko can be a good stretch-4 off the bench and Ekpe Udoh can be a defensive playmaker in spots, but Favors is by far the best power forward on the roster.
Re-signing Favors means that the Jazz don’t have any glaring holes in their lineup.