Sixers: Top 5 free agents in the Northwest Division
Breaking down the best free agents in the Northwest Division, including some potential Philadelphia 76ers targets.
We’re mere days away from free agency, with the Philadelphia 76ers expected to be in the mix for some of the biggest names on the market. As a result, we’re breaking down the best free agents from every division in the NBA.
While the Northwest Division has an obvious headliner — hello, PG13 — there are some other names worth watching, for various reasons. The Sixers, especially if LeBron James decides to go elsewhere, could very well be in the mix for several players.
No. 5: Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz
Favors, coming off a difficult 2016-17 campaign, rebounded nicely last season. He averaged 12.3 points per game as Utah’s tertiary option, playing next to Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
Strengths
The fit with Favors and Gobert has always been odd due to the limited shooting. Favors can stretch the floor and hit the occasional corner three, but he only hit 22.2 percent of his deep balls last season. There’s reason to believe that he’s better off at the center spot with more shooting around him.
With that said, the Jazz frontcourt did start to click toward the end of last season. Favors approaches the game with a high basketball I.Q., something that helps him mesh with Gobert. He’s a solid passer on the block and tends to position himself well on the offensive end.
His clean footwork and ability to finish with touch around the rim allows him to carve out his own shots down low.
Weaknesses
Depending on the system, Favors’ limited lateral quickness can hurt him on the defensive end. His instincts and awareness normally make him a solid defender, but he might not be the best long-term fit at power forward for a team like the Jazz. That’s why he’s best at center.
If Favors can become a more reliable spot-up shooter, that notion may change. Until then, however, he’s more of an old-school center playing out of position. He has value, but it isn’t maximized in his current situation.
Fit
The Sixers need a backup center and Favors might not command significant money on the current market. With that said, he’d probably cost too much for the Sixers to invest in him — even on a one-year deal. It would be wiser to chase more perimeter help, especially on the wing.
Favors would give the Sixers another solid post-up option, capable of running some of the plays designed for Embiid. He’d be getting paid like a starter, though, and the all-around fit just doesn’t make sense.