Team USA has brought in 34 players for their three day minicamp in Las Vegas from August 11th to the 13th. Among the 34 players are some superstars and some up and coming players that might be superstars in the future but one player who wasn't invited was Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors. Favors reportedly felt like he was snubbed and was frustrated by his lack of invite to camp, according to Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Favors was in Team USA camp back in 2013 but has yet to be invited back but he intends to continue playing extremely well so that he forces them to invite him back.
"I was frustrated for a while, 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," said Favors.
Favors is now 24 and he is an extremely talented player that has improved his game a ton since coming into the NBA in 2010. He likely is more worthy of being in Team USA camp than guys like Mason Plumlee or Kenneth Faried but they both played for Team USA in the 2014 FIBA World Cup so they were always going to be invited back before him.
With Favors having not been invited to USA camp he has focused his efforts on improving his game, specifically his shooting range. Favors is best when he is closest to the basket but every year he has improved his mid-range jumper having shot over 40 percent from 10-16 feet last season. If Favors can improve on his range it will give Rudy Gobert more room to work down low and space out the floor. Favors has also said that a goal of his is to help lead the Jazz to the playoffs and he feels it is possible as everyone on the team and in the organization is committed to that goal.
Last season the 6 foot-10 power forward out of Georgia Tech averaged 16 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while making 53 percent of his field goal attempts. Favors has taken on a bigger role and improved every year he has been in the NBA and if he continues to do that he will not only be invited to Team USA training camps but he will be making the roster and making an impact for the team in the future.
