Utah Jazz

Jazz's Derrick Favors 'was frustrated' by Team USA snub

Published Aug. 10, 2015 7:51 p.m. ET

foxsports

His towering teammate wasn't the only one to take notice of Utah Jazz big man Derrick Favors' lack of an invite to Team USA mini-camp this week. At a charity event on Monday, Favors admitted that he wasn't exactly happy with the snub, but that he'd dealt with his frustrations and moved on:

"I was frustrated for a while," Favors said, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. "Overall I got over it. They picked the guys who they wanted to get. The only thing I can do is continue to work hard, continue to work on my game and prove my point next season."

It's a healthy perspective to take. A little extra motivation doesn't hurt, so a bit of frustration can go a long way. But to dwell on the choices could be counterproductive. All Favors can control is working on his game, developing defensive chemistry with Rudy Gobert, and helping the Jazz to the playoffs.

And given how well he played last season, it makes sense that many pundits are picking Utah to vie for a postseason berth even with the season-ending injury to Dante Exum. Favors has long been a favorite of NBA diehards for his defensive instincts, and the presence of Gobert unleashed Favors as a one-man fire extinguisher, snuffing out action from an opposing team that was catching fire against the Jazz's impressive defense.

Where Favors turned heads was on the other end. He averaged a career high 16 points per game; on a per-36-minutes basis, he far surpassed his previous totals, tallying 18.7 points per 36. He grabbed a slightly lower percentage of overall rebounds when he was on the floor last season, but that's more because of the emergence of Gobert than any weakness in Favors' game.

(h/t Salt Lake Tribune)