Nissan #ProJackets Basketball Report

Dec. 3, 2015

By Wiley Ballard

– Derrick Favors has led the Utah Jazz to their best start in years. The 24-year-old is playing at an All-Star pace and beginning to receive national attention. Meanwhile, Chris Bosh continues to anchor the Miami Heat with his veteran play. Anthony Morrow returns to Atlanta as one of Oklahoma City’s emerging threats. All of that and more can be found in this week’s basketball edition of the Nissan #ProJackets Report.

Chris Bosh – Chris Bosh and the Heat have benefited from a light November schedule, playing just 14 games and winning nine of them. This past week Bosh turned in back-to-back 20-point performances including his seventh double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) in a season-high 39 minutes. The veteran forward reflected on his team’s progress through the season’s first five weeks. Miami returns to action tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 8 p.m. on TNT.

Derrick Favors – Less than four years ago, the New Jersey Nets shipped the third overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft across the country to a struggling Utah Jazz franchise. Since then the Nets have played under four different head coaches and presently sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Yet the most drastic change in that time has been the evolution of Derrick Favors. The all-star hopeful has increased his scoring in every season and is rebounding at a career rate while leading an increasingly relevant Jazz team.

In Utah’s near upset of Golden State on Monday night, Derrick Favors surpassed the 20-point threshold for the sixth time this year. Favors’ 23 points on 15 shots is a microcosm of his season. The 24 year-old’s player efficiency rating (PER) ranks 7th in the NBA, besting multiple all-stars such as LeBron James, James Harden, Chris Paul and Chris Bosh. Many have tabbed Favors as Utah’s best player due to his impactful and efficient play. Sports Illustrated offered a “serial look” inside the development of Derrick Favors with its series, The Craft. Utah hosts the Orlando Magic tonight at 9 p.m.

Jarrett Jack – Wins have been hard to come by in Brooklyn, but Jarrett Jack and the Nets currently carry a two-game win streak into the weekend. Jack has scored in double figures in three straight games and delivered a season-high 14 assists in a nail-biting 90-88 loss to Cleveland last Saturday. Through the season’s first month, the point guard, who ranks in the NBA’s top ten in assists, has affirmed Brooklyn’s decision to peg him as the starter. Next, Brooklyn visits the New York Knicks on Friday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Anthony Morrow – Anthony Morrow’s increased minutes following an injury to superstar Kevin Durant in mid-November ignited the sharpshooter. Although Durant has since returned, Morrow is playing his best basketball of the season. The “Fastest Gun in the West” has shot 52 percent from long range over the past two weeks as the Thunder have gone 5-2 in that span. NewsOK chronicled Morrow’s return to Georgia Tech and his improving play earlier this week. Oklahoma City faces the Miami Heat tonight in a nationally televised game on TNT. Tip is at 8 p.m.

Iman Shumpert – After suffering a ruptured Extensor Carpi Ulnaris sheath in his right wrist just before the start of training camp, Iman Shumpert is targeting a return nearly two weeks ahead of schedule. The Cleveland guard participated in first practice session this past Monday. Although Shumpert’s return date is still a moving target, the fourth-year veteran is “sprinting on the comeback trail.”

Thaddeus Young – It’s hard to receive much national attention with a 5-13 record, but Thaddeus Young is finding ways. The power forward has posted six double-doubles in his last seven games after netting just three all of last season. Not surprisingly, Young leads the Nets in rebounding and ranks second in scoring through the first 18 games. ESPN.com recently profiled Young’s diverse skill set. Young and the Nets will battle their Empire State rivals, the Knicks, on Friday night at Madison Square Garden on ESPN.