The penultimate player on our
9 players, 9 days series is Georgia Tech PF/C, Derrick Favors. More on the 18-year-old big man after the jump.
Age: 19 (in July)
Height: 6'10"
Weights: 246 lbs.
Yesterday, I talked at length about why this spot isn't occupied by Evan Turner, today we're going to talk about why Derrick Favors is here. To put it simply, I believe his ceiling is an Amare Stoudemire who not only cares about defense and rebounding, but excels on that side of the floor as well. A guy who can be the weak-side shot blocker, with the athleticism to shut down the pick-and-roll and the strength to hold his own in post defense. I see his floor as a (much) more athletic version of Al Horford. Anywhere in the middle there is an excellent building block.
I have to admit, fit plays into this ranking for me, but not in the way you'd expect. The Sixers have Brand, they have Speights, they have Dalembert. If you asked most people what the biggest position of need is in Philly, they'd say shooting guard. When I talk about Favors fitting it has more to do with Jrue. Favors is exactly what Jrue needs. A big guy who's not only an elite athlete, capable of starting the break with his defense, then running the floor and finishing with authority, he's also got excellent hands, nice touch on the inside, the explosiveness to finish over guys and the toughness to finish through contact. On the defensive side, Favors is the kind of guy who covers up mistakes, the kind of guy who can not only hedge and recover on the pick-and-roll, but can also switch in certain circumstances and trap aggressively. With Jrue and Iguodala on the perimeter and Favors down low, you can cover for one or two mediocre defenders on the floor.
Short term, if you get Favors you start him immediately. I don't really care if you trade or bench Dalembert or bench Brand to open the spot up, but you get this kid on the floor for 30+ minutes/game immediately. He needs to start working with Jrue and Iguodala, feeding off their playmaking to build his confidence early. There are going to be plenty of bumps along the way, Favors isn't nearly a finished product, especially on the offensive side, but he needs minutes, reps and the confidence that comes from the team believing in him to reach his potential. I believe Favors is the type of guy that can be turned into an All Star by the type of point guard play I'm expecting from Jrue. Still, if a team relying on youth at two key positions is going to make the playoffs, it's not going to be on the back of its offense. This team will need to defend at an extremely high level to have any success in the upcoming season.
Long term, and this is really what it comes down to for me, the Sixers would have a 20-year-old point guard who projects to be very, very good on both ends of the floor, and a big man who could be dominant on both ends at 19. That is a bright, bright future.
One final word. Over the past several years, really since high school players started declaring for the draft, the NBA has become obsessed with athleticism. The athlete has been chosen over the more skilled player time and time again, with mixed results, at best. There's a reason for that. There's a reason why size matters. It's because when you're talking about stars, and I mean real superstars, they all have more than the requisite size and athleticism to play their positions. They have much more than that, but the athleticism, with rare exception, isn't optional. Kobe, Wade, LeBron, Tim Duncan, Shaq...you can go right down the line. They were all exceptional athletes. When we're talking about the number two pick. Maybe a once-per-decade stroke of luck, I'm going to have a hard, hard time passing up on a big with Favors' ceiling. An especially hard time when I believe the core of our team (Iguodala and Jrue) is perfectly tailored to help him reach his full potential.
Of course, if the Sixers do luck out and wind up with the number two pick, I reserve the right to change my mind, again. We'll know in less than 48 hours, now.
9. Ed Davis
8. Cole Aldrich
7. Ekpe Udoh
6. Al-Farouq Aminu
5. Wesley Johnson
4. DeMarcus Cousins
3. Evan Turner
2. Derrick Favors
1. Coming tomorrow (I wonder who it could be).
Thoughts in the comments, as usual.
I agree it would be great to see Favors start from day 1, but physically is he ready? On offesnse he could get by with hiustle and dunks if the set offense is basic. As you said, Jrue-Dala should be able to spoon feed him dunks.
Does he already have the strength to play defense? Next to Sam the answer is yes, but what about next to Brand or Speights?
One thing that is encouraging is watching OKC defend at a high level. It shows that coaching and effort can turn a young/small team into a top defense. You probably need a more veteran team to run a complex offense, but hopefully the Sixers can upgrade their defense right away (with the right coach.)
What's Favors wingspan btw? At 6'10, with his arms down to his knees...........Freakish...His wingspan has got to be more than Aminu. I wonder if its more than the elite bigs in the league (Duncan, Garnett, Howard, Stoudamire, etc.)
What I like about Favors is what I liked about Mayo in college, he put his ego in check despite all the highschool hype and came in and defended and didn!t force things offensively, instead gradually imposing his will as the year went on. Tk, athletically I think he immedietely step on the floor and is a factor. I wanted him above all else but am leaning towards Wall at #1 and will give my reasons tommorow but man , I hope we get top 3!!
What I like about Favors is what I liked about Mayo in college, he put his ego in check despite all the highschool hype and came in and defended and didn!t force things offensively, instead gradually imposing his will as the year went on.
You mean the OJ Mayo who got his coach fired and put his school on suspension for the questionable way he ended up at USC? Please don't tell me Mayo put his ego in check to go to USC - they told them they'd cater to him - they just sucked.
And Favors had an upper clasmen big man on his roster who was better than him (this year only) and a coach who didn't know how to use him...
I just can't for the life of me figure out who is #1 though
I think he was talking about on the court not all the off the court stuff that went on. Mayo didn't force shots, played within himself and made USC contenders in the pac-10 for a year. Off the court is a different issue.
On to Favors, he has the potential to be Amare on offense and Josh Smith on defense. At worst he's a game changing defender. Not sure what they'd do with Speights but who cares if you land one of the top talents to come along in a while. If you offered me Favors or Blake Griffin before the knee injury I'm taking Favors without hesitating.
Agreed on Favors over Griffin.
I will take Griffin after the injury over Favors. I wish that we could look back at post like this years later.
The archives will be here. Bookmark it.
Iwatched a lot of Pac 10 that year because of my K.Love man crush and what I was talking about was strictly on the court stuff. Favors got few touches because of Lawal but didn!t "try to get his" when he did get the ball and I find that to be a good quality.
I spoke with my friend who is a big Kentucky fan today about Favors/Cousins. He really believes that if it comes down to the 3rd pick that Cousins should be drafted ahead of Favors. Offensively speaking, I think Cousins will be a better scorer in the league in a traditional sense. He won't be as explosive as Favors but he would be able to open up more shots for other players once teams realize they have to double team him every time he touches the ball. If Cousins didn't have those red flags I would agree that he might be worth picking ahead of Favors.