I think when the Pelicans traded for Derrick Favors, they were expecting a little bit more scoring production in their frontcourt. However, despite Derrick Favors being more of the known players on the Pelicans, he’s having his worst scoring season since his 2nd season in the NBA. Oddly enough, he is averaging more rebounds than points and has a career-high in rebounds this year.
Derrick Favors Stats
Derrick Favors averages 9.3 PPG on 60% FG and 10.1 RPG. So what gives? He is shooting respectable enough from the rim to about 10 ft. from 3-10 feet, he still shoots at a 43.8% clip. After 10 ft, his FG% significantly drops. However, considering that the frontcourt is arguably the Pelicans’ worst problem, it would make sense to try to feed Favors more in the paint to space the floor for their other scorers. He also only averages 24 minutes per game, which doesn’t make sense to me. Rebounds are a fundamental part of basketball and Favors averages more rebounds than anyone else on their team by at least 3 rebounds.
While his rebounding stats are absurd compared to his scoring, the Pelicans would be a lot better if they just play Derrick Favors and let him rebound. Feed him inside to also open up the floor for your scorers. Jaxon Hayes and Jahlil Okafor have great potential. But for a big man and averaging less than 5 RPG is just not a good look. They do score at a higher rate seeing as they play fewer minutes than Favors, but they don’t nearly rebound as well. The Pelicans have pretty good scorers on their team with Brandon Ingram, Jrue Holiday, and J.J. Reddick. Tthey just need help on their frontcourt. Maybe that will change with Zion Williamson, who knows?
