THE FLATS – Derrick Favors remains productive for the Jazz in Western Conference semifinals … Taking a look into Thaddeus Young’s future with the Bulls and Josh Okogie’s future with the Timberwolves … Chris Bosh makes the rounds to promote his new book “Letters to a Young Athlete” … more in this week’s #ProJackets Report.
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FAVORS BIG OFF THE BENCH AGAIN FOR JAZZ IN GAME 1 VS. CLIPPERS
Derrick Favors averaged a productive 15 minutes off the bench in helping the Utah Jazz win their opening NBA playoff series against Memphis, which they won in five games, and came up big again in the Jazz’ game 1 win Tuesday over the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals.
“The Jazz backup big man Derrick Favors checked in with 6:42 remaining in the third quarter and picked up where Rudy Gobert left off. After Bojan Bogdanovic missed a jumper, Favors grabbed the offensive rebound that led to a three-pointer by Jordan Clarkson to put the Jazz within one point.
Then Clippers big man Ivica Zubac tried to score in the paint but Favors rejected the shot away. After Royce O’Neale made a bucket, Rajon Rondo tried to score a layup but Favors swatted the shot into the Jazz bench.
Favors finished the first three quarters with two points, five rebounds and two blocks.”
JC 🔥
Fav 🖐#TakeNote #LACatUTA #NBA #NBAPlayoffs
🎥: TNT pic.twitter.com/UgMlWPGfMJ— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 9, 2021
it’s “appreciate @dfavors14” always, always, ALWAYS pic.twitter.com/GXW3DpgdBC
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 9, 2021
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ANALYZING THADDEUS YOUNG’S FUTURE WITH BULLS
“Thad Young’s career year at age 32, in his 13th season in the NBA, quickly became one of the pleasant surprises of this Bulls season.
Young was nicknamed “Thagic” by announcer Stacey King for his impressive passing skills. He dished out a career-high 4.3 assists per game while averaging 12.1 points and 6.2 rebounds and earning some third-place votes for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
It might be hard for the Bulls to walk away from Young after such an impressive season, especially considering his relationship with LaVine. But if the Bulls need to clear cap space, his contract could be a casualty.”
Read more from the Chicago Tribune
Year 15 gonna be 🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/D45pxkA3ct
— Thad Young (@yungsmoove21) June 2, 2021
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YOUNG-LAVINE DUO CELEBRATED
“[Chicago Bulls teammates Thaddeus Young and Zach LaVine] have held a friendship ever since LaVine came into the league with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2014, and this season we learned just how tight that friendship really was. LaVine called Young the MVP of the team, while Young consistently praised LaVine’s breakout performance. The 14-year veteran was also included on the surprise zoom call to celebrate LaVine’s first All-Star nod.
While business is business, and we can’t eliminate the idea of the Bulls moving on from Young this offseason, it is hard to see them easily getting rid of someone so close to their star player. He continues to be the perfect hype man as LaVine begins his ascent up the league’s player ranking. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that the two seem to fit quite well together on the court. The pairing of Young and LaVine had a +6.9 (NICE) while on the court this season, according to Basketball-Reference’s lineup data, which was easily the best two-man combo this season.”
If you had to pick one guy to go 1 on 1 vs the rest of the league, who’d it be?
🎧 Full ep with Thaddeus Young here: https://t.co/MApSY5tNpj@yungsmoove21 @FanDuel @channingfrye @RealAClifton @Rjeff24 pic.twitter.com/5ddDXjmUcU
— Road Trippin’ Show🎧 (@RoadTrippinPod) June 4, 2021
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ANALYZING THE OFFENSIVE GAME OF JOSE ALVARADO
Last week Dakota Schmidt on SBNation took a deep dive on the defensive excellence of Jose Alvarado in an NBA Draft preview piece. This week, he goes deep on Alvarado’s offensive game.
“While the 2021 ACC Defensive Player of the Year is obviously fantastic on that end of the floor, the Brooklyn-born guard is the furthest thing from a one-sided performer.
That fact was most evident during his senior season with Georgia Tech as he played at the best level of his college career. In 26 games, he put up 15.2 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.5 rebounds on 50% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc on 4.5 attempts per game. Those percentages mixed with him shooting 84% from the charity stripe were the keys behind him maintaining a 63% True Shooting Percentage and 59% effective Field Goal Percentage, both career-best numbers.
That great efficiency was largely due to his great perimeter shooting, as the young guard showed a knack for being able to get his shot off whether he’s working off-the-dribble or catch-and-shoot. Despite being the man that brought the ball up the floor more times than not, Georgia Tech’s slower offense that relied heavily on ball movement gave Alvarado more opportunities to show his work off the catch.”
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TRADE TALK FOR JOSH OKOGIE
As Josh Okogie works in the off-season to prepare for his fourth season in the NBA, Dunking With Wolves makes the case for the Minnesota Timberwolves trading the former Georgia Tech star and offers three prospective deals.
“The fit in Minnesota is very clear for Okogie – he averaged only 5 points per game on 40/27/77 shooting. But his defense, as stated, can be more-than elite at times. That’s where his value is. Elsewhere, he would be able to serve as a defensive specialist in expansive minutes while being able to prove to other teams why he’s worth a contract extension.”
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BOSH’S STEM PASSIONS TAKE FLIGHT IN DRONE RACING LEAGUE
“Before his high-flying dunks and iconic dinosaur screams, Chris Bosh was learning the art of coding, computers, and technology. Thanks to his parents, who worked in industries that involved STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), Bosh discovered this passion at a young age.
The Hall of Famer’s career in the NBA was cut short due to injury, but that gave him time to get involved in other activities. From becoming a published author to producing songs, Bosh proved that he was more than an athlete.
In October 2020, he was named the Dean of Drone Racing League Academy. Add that to his already stacked resume.”
Read more in Sports Illustrated for Kids
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#ProJackets on Social Media
🏀11x All-Star
🏀2x Champion
🏀Naismith Hall of Famer@chrisbosh tells his former coach @SamMitchellNBA and @hoopscritic what it was like getting the call that he’s part of the 2021 @Hoophall class.Check out Chris’s new book Letters to a Young Athlete: https://t.co/wmBTiIcEF1 pic.twitter.com/noukkM6wJq
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) June 9, 2021
Full interview with @chrisbosh: https://t.co/pntiVIWOj8
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 9, 2021
“If everyone puts their problems out on the table, you’ll pick yours back up real quick.” — @chrisbosh on @tferriss https://t.co/s0KsFW9MZP
— Shelby Smith (@shelbysmith_co) June 8, 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 |
