Utah Jazz: 5 predictions for the 2018-19 NBA season
By Mason McFee
3. Derrick Favors finishes top five in scoring among power forwards
To borrow (again) the saying of one point guard whose team the Utah Jazz defeated in the postseason, why not Derrick Favors?
Last season, the fifth-highest scorer among power forwards was Aaron Gordon, averaging 17.6 points per game. Just outside the top five were Carmelo Anthony (16.2 points per game) and two players tied for seventh with 16.1 points per game (Julius Randle and Kyle Kuzma).
Now, there’s certainly a case to be had against Favors. He isn’t outscoring Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMarcus Aldridge, or Blake Griffin (1-4 on the power forward scoring leaderboard last season) unless one of Utah’s starters go down.
While those players aren’t guaranteed to finish in the spots they finished in last season, it’s unlikely Favors finishes above them on teams where they figure to be the first or second option on offense.
So why is he going to finish top-five in scoring in his position? The fringe guys mentioned earlier.
He could very well prove everyone wrong, but Carmelo Anthony is a fairly obvious downgrade from Trevor Ariza at this point in their respective careers. Julius Randle now plays on the same team as Anthony Davis (who will be playing center) and with a former All-Star in Jrue Holiday. Kuzma will be coming off the bench for the Lakers. Favors is starting.
Just because a player starts doesn’t mean they score a lot, but Derrick Favors will have more opportunities to as the rest of his teammates improve.