Somehow, someway I’ll get through an entire feature on former Georgia Tech power forward Derrick Favors without using the trite cliché: “he has a tremendous upside.” This 6-10, 245 power player’s game is certainly anything but tired and shopworn as his best days are yet to come. NBA scouts know it, as he’ll likely be the first “big” taken, and could go as high as #3 or #4 in the NBA Draft.
I caught up to him in Milwaukee, on the eve of his final collegiate game, a 75-66 loss to Ohio State. The freshman Favors once again displayed his biggest weakness: he fouled out.
The day before the NCAA second round loss to the Bucks, teammate Gani Lawal (himself a likely high NBA draft choice) described it all too well.
“With Derrick, I’ve said it all season, if he’s on the floor he’s going to dominate. There isn’t a difference. If he’s in foul trouble you can’t dominate,” Lawal said.
“So you just see him on the floor having a big impact. As you saw in the championship game, that’s the types of things he can do night in, night out, blocking shots, rebounding, finishing strong, put-backs, everything, definitely makes life a lot easier having him on the floor than him sitting on the bench.”
When I asked Favors himself what he needs to specifically work on the most, he said his overall offensive game. True, he is quite raw on the scoring end of the floor and he should assert himself more often.
I also asked Favors what he believes his biggest assets are, “probably defense in the post and rebounding,” he responded.
Agreed. He’s a fantastic rebounder and his overall length makes him a fantastic defender (when he’s not hacking away and fouling out). Favors also has great versatility when it comes to the power game inside and knocking down the mid-range jumper. He knows how to use his bulk, and he moves very well for a man his size. Because of his monstrous potential, and how much of it he displayed during his stellar ACC Tournament showing, Favors will hear his name called very early on NBA Draft night.
For a detailed scouting report on Favors go here
Written by Paul M. Banks and David Kay
Written by Paul M. Banks, President and CEO of The Sports Bank.net , a Midwest focused webzine. He is also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, the Chicago Tribune’s blog network, Walter Football.com, the Washington Times Communities, Yardbarker Network, and Fox Sports.com