THE FLATS – Derrick Favors comes up big for the Jazz in playoff opener … One vote for Thaddeus Young as NBA’s top sixth man … Josh Okogie and the Wolves remain busy after season ends … Chris Bosh reveals how he tamed his ego … more in this week’s #ProJackets Report.
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FAVORS PLAYS BIG TO OPEN JAZZ PLAYOFF SERIES
Fast-forward to Sunday’s Game 1, and [Derrick] Favors was one of the only bright spots in the Jazz’s playoff-opening loss to the Grizzlies. He looked fluid in his movements — springy even. A third quarter dunk showed the best of what Favors could be: he collected a low pass from Mike Conley, dribbled it up into his hands, then exploded through traffic for a finish.
Favors finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds in his 23 minutes on the floor; it was his third-highest minutes total of the season because of Gobert’s foul trouble. And Favors’ defense shone too, perhaps not as highly as Gobert’s, but Favors’ four blocks kept the Jazz in striking distance.
Read more in the Salt Lake Tribune
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ONE VOTE FOR THADDEUS YOUNG FOR SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR
Young did receive two 3rd-place votes for the award! The big man finished the season with one of the best campaigns of his 14-year career, averaging 12.1 points, 4.3 assists (career-high), 6.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per game. His 56.7 percent effective field goal percentage was also a career-high. I’m honestly a tiny bit surprised he didn’t receive a little bit more recognition in the final vote tally, but the Bulls’ lack of success mixed with the fact that he ended up starting 23 games probably pushed him down the list. If we are talking about the sheer impact on winning, though, Young was easily one of the league’s top off-the-bench contributors. His On/Off differential finished at a +10.7, which ranked in the 97th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. FWIW: Clarkson finished with a -7.3 differential and Ingles with a +2.0. Rose, the third-place finisher, had a +10.6 during his 35 games with New York. Again, I totally understand why Young found himself practically off the ballot, but he was one of the most coveted trade deadline names for a reason.
Young gets A-plus grade with Bulls
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WOLVES’ SEASON OVER, BUT OKOGIE AND TEAM REMAIN ACTIVE
Now, marking the one-year mark of Floyd’s death, Sports Illustrated’s Michael Pina penned a piece covering the Wolves’ response as an organization, including both their immediate reaction in the wake of the tragedy and their continued efforts to affect change.
“[Okogie has] spent the entire season going out of his way to educate himself on law enforcement, peppering the Timberwolves director of team security Tony Adams—a retired, 30-plus year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department who was promoted in December to his current role—with questions.
What are the requirements to be a police officer? What are police officers trained to do? When it came to Floyd’s death, Okogie wanted to know whether there was anything else that could have been done by the officers who were on the scene, and how Floyd’s alleged use of a fake $20 bill could possibly lead to the cruelty that then occurred.
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HALL OF FAMER BOSH REVEALS HOW HE TAMED HIS EGO
From an exclusive excerpt in Men’s Health magazine…
“Ego is one of those things that’s hard to define exactly. But you know it when you see it.
And it’s never something good to see in your coaches, your teammates, or your friends. It’s what makes coaches yell at kids for no reason. It’s what turns promising young players into ball hogs. It’s what makes people—on the court and off—act like jerks.
And what’s especially dangerous about ego is that, as easy as it is to see in other people, it’s really hard to see in the mirror. Ego could be distorting your life, your relationships, your game right now—and unless you’re really good at introspection, you’d have no idea.”
Wall Street Journal: Chris Bosh on the Sudden, ‘Surreal’ End of His NBA Career
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#ProJackets on Social Media
It's "appreciate Derrick Favors," always.#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/K1XmCziU7q
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) May 24, 2021
Thaddeus Young is the Sixth Man of the Year (In My Heart) and Other Bulls Bulletshttps://t.co/Baf4I1wL2q
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 25, 2021
Members of the Timberwolves, including Josh Okogie and the front office met with George Floyd family over Zoom to honor his life and discuss hope and opportunities to affect change in the future, a source told @TheUndefeated. https://t.co/fZ7L6qv8YJ #nba pic.twitter.com/Jj8v9IYglW
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) May 26, 2021
Remember when we used to write letters? I do, and I miss it. My new book #LettersToaYoungAthlete is my letter to you all. Coming out in just FIVE days.
Grab your copy now: https://t.co/xOKzms0lB2 pic.twitter.com/KIdxVqTN4J
— Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh) May 27, 2021
— Dennis 3D Scott (@Dennis3DScott) May 26, 2021
#PROJACKETS IN THE NBA/G LEAGUE IN 2023-24
| PLAYER | DATA | NUMBERS | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
 | JOSE ALVARADO Team: New Orleans Pelicans Number: 15 NBA Experience: 3rd year Years at Georgia Tech: 2017-21 Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y. Status: Active | 6-0, 179 lbs 2023-24 Stats 7.1 ppg 2.3 rpg 2.1 apg 41.2% FG | Record: 49-33 Standing: 7th place, -8.0 GB Streak: L1 Last 10: 5-5 |
 | JAMES BANKS III Team: Maine Celtics Number: 5 G League Experience: 3rd year Years at Georgia Tech: 2018-20 Hometown: Atlanta, Ga. Status: Active | 6-10, 250 lbs 2023-24 Stats 5.3 ppg 4.7 rpg 1.5 bpg 54.2% FG | Record: 21-13 Standing: 2nd place, -1.0 GB Streak: W1 Last 10: 8-2 |
 | MICHAEL DEVOE Team: Memphis Hustle Number: 10 G League Experience: 2nd year Years at Georgia Tech: 2017-21 Hometown: Orlando, Fla. Status: Active | 6-4, 183 lbs 2023-24 Stats 13.9 ppg 3.9 rpg 3.1 apg 47.4% FG | Record: 15-19 Standing: 12th, -9.0 GB Streak: W1 Last 10: 3-7 |
 | DERRICK FAVORS Team: Windy City Bulls (G League) Number: 14 NBA Experience: 12 seasons Years at Georgia Tech: 2009-10 Hometown: Atlanta, Ga. Status: Active | 6-9, 265 lbs 2023-24 Stats 6.2 ppg 4.7 rpg 0.7 bpg 66.7% FG | Record: 15-19 Standing: 13th place, -7.0 GB Streak: L1 Last 10: 4-6 |
 | JOSH OKOGIE Team: Phoenix Suns Number: 2 NBA Experience: 5 seasons Years at Georgia Tech: 2016-18 Hometown: Snellville, Ga. Status: Active | 6-4, 213 lbs 2023-24 Stats 4.6 ppg 2.6 rpg 1.1 apg 41.7% FG | Record: 49-33 Standing: 6th place, -8.0 GB Streak: W3 Last 10: 7-3 |
 | THADDEUS YOUNG Team: free agent Number: 30 NBA Experience: 16 seasons Years at Georgia Tech: 2006-07 Hometown: Memphis, Tenn. Status: Active | 6-8, 235 lbs 2023-24 Stats 4.2 ppg 3.0 rpg 1.7 apg 60.2% FG | Record: 49-33 Standing: 6th place, -8.0 GB Streak: W3 Last 10: 7-3 |
