With the Pelicans season officially over, we begin our look back at each individual player’s season and recap what we learned and where they stand with the Pelicans moving forward.
Overview
When the Pelicans brought in Derrick Favors last off-season, they took a bit of a risk in doing so. While it was only a one-year deal, this marked the first season Favors would anchor down a defense on his own after spending years alongside Rudy Gobert in Utah.
Favors more than passed the test on the season. In fact, as is often the case with teams each season in the NBA, Favors was the quiet catalyst for much of what the Pelicans did this season. His greatest impact came on the defensive end but the he also was the forgotten piece of the Pelicans starting lineup that ranked as one of the best in the league with Zion Williamson.
What was learned?
One statistic is all that is needed to define Favors’ importance to the team this season. With him on the court, the Pelicans’ had a defense that would have ranked seventh in the league (107.9 rating). When he was off the court, the rating jumped to a figure that would have ranked 23rd (112.4).
Put differently, according to Cleaning the Glass, the Pelicans played at the level of a 53-win team with Favors on the court, or a winning percentage that would have easily gotten them into the playoffs this season. The problem is that, while Favors obviously can’t play every minute of every game, his extended absence early in the season was one of the big reasons for the team’s slow start.
Through New Orleans’ opening 25 games, Favors featured in just nine as a back injury and the passing of his mother kept him out of the lineup. The team was just 6-19 through those games, including the first 10 wins in their 13-game losing streak in November and December.
Once he and ultimately Zion Williamson entered the lineup, the lineup instantly clicked. From Williamson’s debut on Jan. 22 until the end of the regular season, the Pelicans’ starting lineup had the second-highest net rating at 18.1 of any lineup to play at least 100 minutes. The Pelicans rode that lineup, playing 52 more minutes than any other lineup in that span.
As important as he was to the team’s defense, Favors was still an efficient offensive player. His 61.8% effective field goal percentage was the highest mark in his career, as were the 9.8 rebounds per game. While his scoring took a backseat in a talented Pelican lineup, he still finished in the 61st percentile as a roll man, per Synergy.
What does the future hold?
Favors enters free agency and presents the Pelicans an interesting dilemma. On one hand, Williamson and Jaxson Hayes likely will be the big men of the future, but neither looks ready for big minutes at center in the short-term (and Williamson may never be able to anchor that role).
It makes sense for Favors to come back on short-term deal. He expressed a desire to return while in the bubble. After showcasing his talent as a starter this season and being apart of one of the league’s best lineups, it would make sense for both sides to continue the relationship.
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