New Orleans Pelicans: Short offseason makes Derrick Favors the best choice

The New Orleans Pelicans need a center, should they just run it back with Derrick Favors?

Look I know Derrick Favors was really bad in the bubble and that caused many (most?) New Orleans Pelicans‘ fans to jump ship and if you’re still swimming away from the wreck that was last season I don’t blame you. But hear me out.

Favors was quietly one of the more important players for New Orleans last season and the team’s worst stretch coincided with him missing time to injury and family matters. Favors had a +9.0 Net Rating Per 100 Possessions, that put him firmly above second-placed Zion (+7.6).

While Favors isn’t a floor spacer (98% of his shot came from 2-point range), I’m not so certain that the team needs him to be. The Los Angeles Lakers just won the title while playing LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Dwight Howard or JaVale McGee together for long stretches, and you’re going to need to be big to beat them (just ask Houston or Portland or Denver or Miami).

For what it’s worth, each team the Lakers beat on their way to the title had a taller average height than the New Orleans Pelicans did this season (although just barely when it comes to Houston). It’s not often discussed how short this Pelicans team was and I think that’s because we as fans like to think Zion Williamson is three inches taller than he actually is.

The Pelicans don’t seem to fit the bill of a more modern NBA offense when playing Favors and Zion together. While Zion did have a good year percentage-wise from beyond the arc, he made 42.9% of his shots from there, Zion only attempted 14 three-point shots in his 24 games. Favors attempted even fewer long-distance shots and was nowhere near as effective. Does he need to be?

There are eight guys on the roster who shot at least 33% from deep if you don’t include Zion and Sindarius Thornwell. That means there’s plenty of space for them to work from the perimeter with Favors and Zion on the floor.

New Orleans Pelicans: Derrick Favors and Zion Williamson can be an elite rebounding duo.

Another part that gets glossed over when discussing Favors with New Orleans is how great a rebounder he is. Sure, averaging 9.8 rebounds per game doesn’t sound like something that would come from an elite rebounder and indeed Favors 501 total rebounds this season was nearly half of what the league leader Rudy Gobert had (916) but Favors did that in 1,100 fewer minutes.

When looking at the advanced rebounding numbers for Derrick Favors, a much clearer picture comes into view. For his career Favors has been an excellent offensive rebounder and an average defensive one but in New Orleans he really took flight.

Favors was in the 90th percentile of “bigs” in terms of grabbing offensive rebounds and the 89th percentile on the defensive end. The only players to rank ahead of him in both categories were noted rebound gurus Enes Kanter, Andre Drummond, Dwight Howard, Hassan Whiteside, Clint Capela, and world-famous giant Boban Marjanovic.

None of that group would be mistaken for focal points of a team’s offense but that’s not what’s needed from the center of the Pelicans. New Orleans needs a center who will bang bodies in the paint to get a rebound, set screens to free up shooters or driving lanes, and captain the defense.

Worrying about Favors’ impact on Zion would be overstated as well. After Zion made his long-awaited debut the Pelicans were an elite rebounding team when those two shared the floor, Zion specifically.

In fact, Favors would provide cover for the team and Zion. The most important part of the 2020-21 season will be a full healthy year from Zion. By keeping Favors around, the front office won’t have to worry about Zion getting banged up playing in the paint defensively.

The defensive end is where Favors’ real value to New Orleans is. If Favors doesn’t return to New Orleans next season, the only returning center will be sophomore Jaxson Hayes. Now I think Hayes can become a good NBA player, he has a high motor and works hard (that head of hair certainly helps too), but Hayes is still raw and needs time to develop.

If Favors does return, Hayes will get another year to learn behind a quality defensive center. Not only will Hayes benefit from the presence of Favors in New Orleans for another year but so will the rest of the roster. The perimeter defenders will be more relaxed knowing they have Favors patrolling the paint if a drive gets past them and the forwards will know they have help if they’re getting bullied inside.

New Orleans Pelicans: Short offseason makes Derrick Favors more appealing

Lastly, with the NBA season possibly starting sooner than we thought even a week ago, the latest reports are that Christmas is a more preferred start date than mid-January or even March. That short of a turnaround means less time to get familiar with new coach Stan Van Gundy and any new players that could be brought in this offseason.

Having roster continuity could be a big advantage as the Pelicans fight to make the playoffs next season. As we’ve seen in the NFL, contending teams that didn’t make many big roster moves going into this season have better positioned because the roster was already familiar.

That thinking leads me wanting New Orleans to bring Favors back on a two-year, front-loaded deal. That would ensure a strong floor with a pretty high ceiling. There are sexier moves you could dream up to put a player on this roster, but sometimes the best move isn’t the flashy signing or trade but rather the smart vet who understands their role.