Washington Wizards: 5 players the Wizards need to target in free agency

Number 3: Derrick Favors

Derrick Favors could become a prime benefactor of the NBA’s changing definition of what it means to be a center. Listed at 6’9″, Favors started his career as a power-forward, over the years he has slowly been spending more time at center before finally taking up residence there full-time this season in New Orleans. Favor’s positional versatility would make him a perfect fit for the Wizards. He could be a small-ball center or partner next to the Wizards’  incumbent center, Thomas Bryant while playing power forward.

Derrick Favors’ offensive and defensive games are more akin to post players of yesteryear. Which happens to be a perfect fit next to Thomas Bryant, who’s best offensive attribute is his 3-point shooting and who isn’t a stout interior defender. The combination of Favors and Bryant’s best skills would provide the Wizards with an NBA unicorn, a big that can shoot and defend the paint.

Favors has a tremendous amount of experience playing next to a true center but has shown he is adept as a lone center. The amount of lineup versatility provides would be a godsend for the Wizards who need to be able to eke out every last defensive advantage they can.

Favors’ best two attributes are his fantastic finishing at the rim and excellent rebounding, two areas of need. The Wizards defense paired the league’s 29th-ranked effective field goal percentage with the 28th-ranked defensive rebounding percentage. Allowing teams to hit their shots and get offensive boards is not a winning defensive combination.

Favor’s defensive rebounding of 28.9 percent last season would have led the Wizards by over 5 percent for players who played more than 200 minutes. The Wizards lone weak spot on offense was that they were 26th in 2-point field goal shooting. Favors has been above 60 percent from 2-point range the last two seasons and could help make the Wizards offense even more efficient.