Rockets 2022-2023 player previews: Derrick Favors

Well, that trade certainly upped our Player Preview Count, as we were profiling many of the players included on the Rockets end of this trade early, so we can talk about the bigger contributors closer to the start of the season.

I think we can safely say that nobody outside the Rockets and Thunder front offices expected Derrick Favors to be part of the Rockets. But he is, and people are already shipping him out as part of an Eric Gordon deal.

Let’s not be so hasty, and see what Favors, Derrick could do for the current Rockets team.

Favors was taken number three overall by the (then) New Jersey Nets in the 2010 NBA draft. He wasn’t there long, moving to Utah in the Derron Williams trade, when the Nets effectively gave a star player control of their franchise. A mistake they would surely never repeat, despite changes in ownership.

Anyhow, Favors has been a good, not great, player during his NBA tenure. The perception of Favors performance has probably been clouded by his high draft status. He’s been a disappointing number three pick, but a solid backup center, or starting power forward of the old school.

Favors was drafted when bigs weren’t expected to shoot three-point shots, and he doesn’t. He truly doesn’t. Favors holds career average of 19.8 percent from deep, so it’s best not to ask.

What he does do is rebound and defend inside and score efficiently in the paint. The last season where he was used in a serious fashion (because the only thing OKC was serious about last year was losing a lot) he was pretty good, if you extrapolate a little.

In 2020-2021, his per 36 minutes numbers came out to 12.8 points/13 rebounds/2.4 blocks with a .663 True Shooting percentage. This is masked by the raw numbers, and low minutes, as Utah really couldn’t afford to play two non-shooters like Favors and Gobert at the same time. When Favors played, however, he was effective.

I can see the value in having an effective, tough, big man on the bench to either spell Sengun and Smith (as Favors can swing that way), or provide an example to the likes of Alpie, Usman and Jabari. If the Rockets find themselves to be unexpectedly decent, he could be very handy. Being able to put a competent, experienced, big man into a close game has advantages.

It could well be his $10 million salary is part of a trade package to bring the Rockets assets. As it stands, his deal already brought a second round pick, a lottery ticket in Theo Maledon going to The Valley, and well, not a lot else.