Utah Jazz: 3 candidates for a breakout season in 2018-19

1. Derrick Favors

Including Derrick Favors in this article may be surprising to some, as I’ve recently mentioned in a couple of articles why Utah might elect to trade him. However, Favors may have more incentive than anyone else on the Jazz roster to have a breakout season in 2018-19.

With the emergence of center Rudy Gobert and injury problems, Favors’ offensive numbers have dropped significantly since 2015-16. His career high 16.4 points per game that season have dropped to 10.9 points per game the past two years.

Although his scoring has declined, the duo of Favors and Gobert worked well last season. While on the court together, they outscored opponents by 8.6 points per 100 possessions. However, with Gobert on the bench, Favors’ scoring averages jump to a respectable 17.1 points per 36 minutes.

Favors has made it abundantly clear that he wants to continue his career in Utah. He submitted a letter to the Jazz faithful to NBA.com shortly after re-signing with the team, detailing his love for Salt Lake City and desire to win a championship in Utah.

However, it’s not entirely clear whether or not Favors will be a part of the Jazz’s long-term plans. Although they signed him to a two-year $37.6 million contract over the summer, the second year of the contract is non-guaranteed. Jazz management have flexibility with his deal, as they can elect to trade him, or release him next summer to free up cap space to sign another free agent.

The 2018-19 season could be the most critical year of Favors’ career. If he and Gobert continue playing well together, and the Jazz make a deep run in the playoffs, it’s likely they bring him back for the 2019-20 season. Otherwise, he will need a breakout season to boost his value for a potential trade, or free agency next summer.