Film Session: Why I Like Derrick Favors
by Sebastian Pruiti
Jun 10, 2010 2010 Big Board, 2010 Draft, Derrick Favors
Devin already took a fantastic look at the whole “Derrick Favors vs. DeMarcus Cousins” draft situation, but I thought I would look at who I want to see the Nets draft (if Evan Turner doesn’t drop to our pick). In my opinion, playing Power Forward alongside Brook Lopez requires a specific skill-set. Because Brook is good at excels both in the post and out on the high post, he needs a power forward who can be able to do both as well. This way, when Brook is on the outside with the basketball his big-man alongside of him can work in the post, and vice-versa. Despite being very raw, when watching the tape, you can tell that Derrick Favors has this skill-set, and this is why I want to see the Nets draft Favors with the third overall pick.
Working The Middle Post
When you play with a big man like Brook Lopez, who is a very good passer, you open up a variety of offensive sets that most teams are unable to do. Something I fully expect to see the Nets take advantage of next year is the high-low set. Brook’s versatility means he can work from the low post or the high post. This means the power forward that he plays with needs to be able to do the same. So when Brook Lopez gets the ball on the high post, the power forward he plays with needs to be able to know how to properly seal and make himself available for the past from the high post area:
Here, Derrick Favors’ teammate makes the catch at the high post and has that happens, Favors very smoothly puts his defender on his backside and seals, creating a terrific passing lane for the basketball. Favors doesn’t get the ball thrown to him, and instead his teammate takes the shot. That’s ok, because Favors takes that great seal and turns it into a great boxout. He doesn’t get the rebound due to a long rebound, but man that is a great boxout.
This is another important skill needed when you play with Brook Lopez. As we have discussed at length, Brook tends to settle for outside jumpers. This past season, there was nobody down low to work the offensive boards when this happens. If you get Derrick Favors working down low when a Brook Lopez shot goes up, he is right there to work for the offensive board.
Working The High Post
Brook Lopez doesn’t exclusively work out of the high post, and he spends a good amount of time on the low block. This means the power forward who plays with him needs to be able to work the high post. Again, Derrick Favors looks comfortable in this situation:
Here, Georgia Tech runs a low-high play where they get the ball into the post and then kick it out to Derrick Favors. Favors makes the catch and looks entirely comfortable taking one dribble and then kicking it out to the wide open shooter along the sideline when the defense gets sucked in. Other options Favors has here is taking the jumper or drive the basket. Both of which he seems comfortable doing.
Pick And Roll Defense
Now this isn’t a requirement specifically for playing along side Brook Lopez, but in my opinion with the growing popularity of the PNR being used with a point guard and a power forward, defending the pick and roll is an important skill for a power forward. Again, Derrick Favors grades out well when you watch the game tape:
Here, Favors man gets the ball to Nolan Smith in part of a dribble hand-off. Favors comes out and cuts off Smith’s path to the basket and then he quickly recovers to his man.
In the second video, you see a true pick and roll rather than a dribble handoff. He shows hard, preventing the ball handler from getting into the lane, in fact, he even forces him to pick up his dribble. Once the ball handler picks up his dribble Favors quickly returns to his man. A subtle thing that Favors does here is put his hands up as he returns to his man. Using his exceptional length Favors is able to shut down any passing lane to the man he is returning to. To close out the play, Favors again gets a solid box out on his man, allowing for his team to secure the rebound.
Work & IQ
If you were to think of one word that has been associated with Derrick Favors so far, that word would be “raw.” That is all you hear from some scouts and draft experts. While he might be raw when it comes to basketball skills (his shooting ability for example), there are two things that catch your eye when you watch Favors play.
The first is his work ethic on the basketball court. Georgia Tech’s offense was very helter skelter during this past season, and that is putting it nicely. There would be series of five to ten straight possessions where Derrick Favors wouldn’t even get a touch. Despite all of that, every time down the court, Favors would get to his spot on the court and post up, just as hard and strong as the last time (even though he didn’t get the basketball).
The second thing you notice is Favors’ basketball IQ. Despite being “raw,” Favors seems to know what he is doing with the basketball. In the four or five games I was able to see, Derrick Favors never looked flustered. He was comfortable with the basketball and always knew where he wanted to go with it. He also does the little things. We already talked about Favors putting his hands up when retreating to his man, but he also runs the floor very well, knows how to properly space out the court, and instinctively chins the basketball when grabbing a rebound, getting those elbows out and preventing defenders from reaching in and stealing it.
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In the end, this is why I think Derrick Favors is the man the Nets need to draft. DeMarcus Cousins is going to be a very good basketball player, I just don’t think he has the skills that Derrick Favors has when working out of the high post. This is going to be a very important aspect of the game of whoever plays alongside of him. We have an All-Star quality center in Brook Lopez, and it would be silly to pair him with someone who doesn’t fit his game.
June 10th, 2010 at 9:37 AM
Very nice breakdown and analysis.
I’m a Cousins fan but appreciate what Favors can bring to the table.
I’m curious if Thorn and Avery Johnson feel the pressure of having to “win” immediately. Will this affect their choice of Cousins over Favors. I also wonder if Thorn/Johnson will be making the choice on our #3 pick. Who is really running the Nets?
June 10th, 2010 at 9:55 AM
A+ article. Better than alot of ESPN ones I read, by the way. Derrick Favors/Brooklyn Lopez could work out so well that the Nets may not need to throw upwards of 20M to a free agent PF with their own “issues”. The best part is you didn’t even show us the blocks, rebounds, and dunks that Favors provides on a consistant basis. Stay tuned June 24th.
June 10th, 2010 at 9:57 AM
Thorn & Proky are running the ship but Avery just pulled up a chair next to them.
June 10th, 2010 at 9:58 AM
Your premise may be right, but I wonder. Gasol can play high and low, but isn’t Bynum just a low-post player? In which case, is it really true a hi/lo guy goes best with a twin?
My impression is that the paint-clogging, defense-oriented, true center tends to be underrated. Perkins, for example.
June 10th, 2010 at 11:47 AM
Gasol and Bynum don’t play that well together thought that has changed somewhat this year. Nice work, I agree about Favors.
June 10th, 2010 at 12:22 PM
Kenyon Martin was the key defensive piece to the Nets back to back runs to the Finals. Kenyon had great foot speed, defensive IQ, and hustle. Kenyon was not polished offensively and could barely get his own shot.
Favors might not be KMart but his quickness, athleticism, toughness, and IQ will go along way. Favors is an instant upgrade over Yi in these departments.
Just imagine if the Nets get a big time PF in free agency where Favors has time to learn. In 3 years Favors could be an allstar
June 10th, 2010 at 2:02 PM
Kudos for the great article breaking down Favor’s D and good work ethic.
June 24 – The Dynasty Begins!
June 10th, 2010 at 2:24 PM
Dynasty? The Knicks haven’t one a championship in close to 40 years. The Nets have never won a championship in the NBA, ever!
So many Nets fans think all we got to do is get a few players here and there, mix and stir, and wait a few years. What we really need is a great superstar talent. Most championship teams have at least one. Since Wall is gone, the next in line with that kind of potential superstar talent is Cousins. How can you pass up on the next great NBA big man? Cause he’s 20 pounds overweight? Twenty pounds on a huge man like Cousins is like being ten pounds overweight for us mere average size individuals. I still think Cousins will be the pick. We will know in two weeks. Till then, let the debate continue.
June 10th, 2010 at 2:30 PM
Mike
The Nets have been the best basketball team in NY for almost 10 years
The Nets have more Finals appearances than the Knicks in the past 20 years.
The Nets have more playoff and regular season wins in this decade than the Knicks.
The Knicks are dreaming of becoming the Nets.
June 10th, 2010 at 2:45 PM
My sources tell me that Cousins and Favors will be going head to head Saturday in Sacramento. (Rotoworld 1hr ago)
June 10th, 2010 at 2:48 PM
We already have the next big thing at center, Brook will be an all star fo many years and has more superstar potential than Cousins right now. Like I’ve said before there are so many reasons to take Favors and very few to take Cousins. More than that Favors again has more superstar potential if people want to keep using that word. Though Cousins is the more polished player right now. In term of low post scoring. And is weight is by far no the only factor but yeah twenty pounds is twenty pounds.
The nets will have the championship in five years. Hopefully the knicks don’t make the playoffs much in those five years.
June 10th, 2010 at 3:03 PM
Cousins has more talent then Brook Lopez. Cousins is quicker, is the better rebounder and converts under the basket stronger then Lopez. Cousins is also tougher. I love Brook but Cousins might end up being the better player. Lopez is the better foul shooter and might have a better jump shot but Cousins would have gone before Brook Lopez, all things being equal, in the 2008 draft. Plus Brook does not look like he hits the weights that often. That has not stopped him from being a durable player. Having both of them might cause some problems but the benefits of having two of the best young big men in the game are obvious and thrilling.
June 10th, 2010 at 3:11 PM
Just read this ’cause it was linked to in Truehoop and I wanted to say this was a great breakdown. This was absolutely the best article I’ve read about Favors’ skills and how they apply to the NBA. Thanks
June 10th, 2010 at 3:15 PM
Really, the guy who has played 0 nba games is already better than the guy who averaged 19-9 last year over 82 games?
June 10th, 2010 at 3:16 PM
And Cousins’ talent has never been in question. His ability to realize it has always been the problem.
June 10th, 2010 at 3:40 PM
Can we stop romanticizing K-Mart. He was overated and we were right to let him go. Don’t give max contracts where they aren’t warranted (see RJ).
June 10th, 2010 at 3:44 PM
Cousins has realized his talent. The kid is 19. He played at one of the greatest basketball colleges in the world and he will be drafted in the top 5 in the greatest basketball league in the world. Cousins is already a winner. The kid has accomplished more in his 19 years then most of us ever did or will do. Give me a break.
June 10th, 2010 at 3:52 PM
No, he hasn’t realized his NBA talent yet. Different games. Adam Morrison was a good college player and was drafted 3rd overall. 11-2-2 in his rookie year. Has he realized his talent?
June 10th, 2010 at 4:01 PM
I’m hoping the Nets select Cousins for one big reason. I want all Nets fans to enjoy this immense (pun intended) talent for years to come. You sometimes only get one shot in life at an opportunity like this. You gotta take it.
June 10th, 2010 at 4:16 PM
In fact, if Cousins comes into the workouts with a few less pounds the Nets will draft him unless Philly takes him before us. No way Proky passes on this potential goldmine or should I say nickelmine.
June 10th, 2010 at 5:18 PM
Brook is already an all star center, and Cousins game isn’t close to his in the low post. After that Brook does just about everything else better. Personally I’ve no idea what kind of pro Cousins will be bust, solid, or great he could be any one but he won’t be better than Brook Lopez of that I’m certain.
June 10th, 2010 at 5:20 PM
Comparing somone who is the elite of his position in the nba and smonone who was a good college player on the best team and didn’t play more than 20 minutes on 30 game or season is just silly.
June 10th, 2010 at 5:21 PM
And please explain to me what talent he has over Brook because Cousins isn’t a standout at anything except low post scoring and Book is so good at that its scary.
June 10th, 2010 at 5:22 PM
I’d also rather he not hit the weights than the hit the fridge like Cousins.
June 10th, 2010 at 5:24 PM
Laterally Cousins might be quicker but Brook runs the floor staight up as good as any big man in the nba, Cousins would be on the ground wheezing by halfcourt. Sorry I’ll stop people I’m just a huge fan of Brook.
June 10th, 2010 at 5:28 PM
Betting Mike right now we don’t take Cousins, I’ll give ya the nod on draft night.
June 10th, 2010 at 6:11 PM
We must also look at the potenial that cousins can take a serious injury on knees coz of hes weight
June 10th, 2010 at 6:49 PM
I don’t care about the draft the Nets have Rod Thorn. You know the guy who built the Bulls of the 90s into a dynasty and the guy who has made so many great picks for the Nets over the past years.
June 10th, 2010 at 7:35 PM
Seriously how can you say we should just take out the fact that we have Brook Lopez and take Cousins. Good thing your not making the Nets decisions.
June 10th, 2010 at 8:35 PM
Hows about we trade everyone for picks 1-5 and sign lebron. 2010 line up
pg-wall
sg-turner
sf-johnson
pf-favors
c-cousins
bench-lebron
June 11th, 2010 at 5:30 AM
“Brook is already an all star center”
No, he isn’t.
June 11th, 2010 at 7:27 AM
Brook is at an allstar level. Deron Williams wasn’t an allstar until this year. Was he unworthy of being called an allstar point guard in the previous years? The only reason he wasn’t named an allstar was because of crowding in the PG spot. Same reason with Brook, what do you think hurt his allstar case more, his production or our record? Everyone named to the allstar team this year came from a team with a winning record at the time
June 11th, 2010 at 9:48 AM
Brook is a very nice player and still learning. I love him on our team and hope to be watching him for many years to come. Cousins is a talented, dynamic and dominant player. Watch him play. There is a reason he put up mind boggling numbers in college relative to the minutes he played. He has to improve his conditioning and learn how to play defense without fouling but he has a talent for the game that very few men of his size posses. Avery will be a great coach for Cousins. Lopez and Cousins, what a problem to have!
June 11th, 2010 at 10:50 AM
nbryan@thenewsenterprise.com 5/30/10
“DeMarcus Cousins played only one season with the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team, but the projected first round pick in next month’s NBA draft made an impact on Big Blue Nation’s fan base far bigger than his mammoth 6-foot-11, 292-pound frame.
More than 2,000 blue-and-white fans crowded Towne Mall in Elizabethtown on Saturday morning to get a glimpse of the former Wildcat big man. While some event goers were happy with just seeing Cousins in person or taking his photo from afar, many more gladly paid $25 for a limited-edition print for him and fellow former Wildcat Mark Krebs to sign.
“That’s just how UK fans are. They’re the best fans in the world,” said Cousins, who has done four such buy-and-sign stops throughout the state and has more lined up prior to the June 26 draft.
Former Kentucky players Patrick Patterson and Ramon Harris had a joint signing at the same location last month in front of a crowd mall officials estimated to be between 900 and 1,000 fans. Even that crowd couldn’t compare to the one which gathered for Cousins, who autographed everything from posters and basketballs and shirts to shoes and a large cardboard cutout of himself”.
(Now that’s what I’m talking about. True superstar potential on and off the court)
June 11th, 2010 at 5:48 PM
He’s playing at an all star level. No doubt Cousins is talented but not more so than Brook and he isn’t a lock to realsie. Probably will be a pretty nice player. But at the end of the day I’m higher on Favors as our pick for a lot of reasons having a lot of college fans doesn’t impact anything.
June 12th, 2010 at 2:46 PM
@Shea23 I would argue that Cousins is more talented than Brook coming out of the draft, but I also would agree that Brook has done far better with realizing that talent & expanding his game than was expected of him.
June 13th, 2010 at 3:04 PM
Anything that makes the Nets tougher. Take the player with the more aggressive attitude. We need a bit more of the Bad Boys around for those nights when we’re 15 down in the 4th quarter and everybody looks dead. Which guys has more passion?
June 14th, 2010 at 1:50 AM
freshman forward coming out of GT – long and athletic but looks raw. Bosh or Favors?
June 14th, 2010 at 3:41 PM
The heck with Favors. Do whatever you can to trade this pick for Chris Paul. I’d rather have him than some bust from Georgia Tech.
June 15th, 2010 at 9:01 AM
[...] While a workout against each other will provide some information (for example, how Derrick Favors handles a bigger defender or how DeMarcus Cousins can shoot from the outside), there is only so much you can learn from a situation like this. The main reason, this is simply one on one rather than five on five drills. At some point teams are going to have to trust their scouting of live-game situations, and I think that the Nets’ scouting will tell them that Derrick Favors is the Power Forward the Nets need to draft. [...]
June 15th, 2010 at 1:31 PM
I’m also a Cousins fan. Love derrick foot speed on defense. At first i felt i would disappointed if we drafted favors. Now i believe both will be great players. Nice breakdown.
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:29 PM
[...] Nets were deciding between DeMarcus Cousins and Derrick Favors. I like Derrick Favors, because he fits better with the Nets: If you were to think of one word that has been associated with Derrick Favors so far, that word [...]