NBA: 15 Takeaways From Opening Week Of The Regular Season

Derrick Favors is going to be a monster

If you ever read any of my writing you have probably learned one thing; I am a big fan of Derrick Favors. This goes with good reason. I wrote earlier this year about the silent emergence of Derrick Favors and now I feel like Nostradamus.

This guy is just killing it this and year and has helped the Jazz jump out to 2-1 record and he looks to lead the team to the playoffs. He is averaging 21.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.3 BPG on 52% shooting. Those stats are all fine and good but check these out.

He has a PER of 32.6 (4th in the NBA), 0.8 win shares (3rd in the NBA), defensive rating of 80.2 (2nd in the NBA), and has a value over replacement player of .3 (tied for 3rd in the NBA). Those are all huge steps forward for the young big man.

He is now becoming the focal point of the offense and his mid-range game has continued to grow leaps and bounds. He could very well find himself on the all-star team this year. During the offseason, I dubbed him the most underrated player in the NBA. After looking at his performance thus far it is easy to see why.

The Jazz are the trendy pick to be a playoff team out West and all the hype may surround his teammates Rudy Gobert and Gordon Hayward, but he is the true heart of the Jazz. Hopefully he continues to prove me right in my high praise of him.

He has a chance to be the ultimate throwback big man and his versatility both offensively and defensively could lead to him becoming one of the top young stars in today’s NBA. You may not hear his name mentioned when talking about young rising stars but you should. Prepare to continue hearing his name.

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