After missing an entire month with a knee injury, Jazz big man Derrick Favors returned to the court Friday and looked excellent in his debut. Tim MacMahon of ESPN said that the 25-year-old’s play was extremely encouraging.
It’s been a relative down year for Favors, at least compared to the last two seasons, but lingering knee issues could be to blame for the statistical downfall. Now Favors is back with an explosiveness that MacMahon notes he’s lacked in 2016/17.
Favors added 13 points and 5 rebounds in his 17 minute return to action on Friday and averages 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on the season. If the forward continues to play free of knee woes, we could see those averages climb higher come playoff time.
There’s more from the Jazz:
- Backup Jazz point guard Raul Neto injured his left ankle Saturday and was forced to miss the remainder of the contest, an Associated Press report says. Neto was playing in his first game back after a five-game absence related to a groin injury.
- The Jazz formally clinched the Northwest Division Friday, the team said on its official website. This is their first division title since 2007/08.
- Fans are pulling out all the stops to keep Gordon Hayward in Utah. A billboard with the phrase “Stayward” emblazoned across it has been installed locally as the Jazz small forward nears free agency. “Will it have any influence? Of course it will have influence,” Hayward told Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune. “It’s always nice to be loved.”
- The Jazz deserve credit for how they’ve managed to contend despite the rash of injuries they’ve endured this season, writes Randy Hollis of the Deseret News.