It remains to be seen how much longer he’ll be with the organization, but over at Sports Illustrated’s Point Forward blog, I mention that the Nets and their fans should be happy with how Derrick Favors has looked the first two months of his NBA career, especially when compared to other teenage phenoms in their first two months:
Favors averaged 13.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per 40 minutes on 57 percent shooting. Garnett, who was 19 in his first NBA season, averaged 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per 40 minutes on 40 percent shooting in his first 31 games (KG also averaged 19.4 minutes per game). Howard, who was also 19 when he debuted with the Orlando Magic, averaged 12.3 points and 13.2 rebounds per 40 minutes on 51 percent shooting through his first 31 games. Stoudemire, who entered the league a year older than the other three, was by far the most advanced, averaging 16.1 points and 11.7 rebounds per 40 minutes on 46 percent shooting in his first 31 games. It’s also worth noting that Stoudemire and Howard were forced into larger roles right out of the gate (unlike Favors and Garnett), averaging more than 30 minutes per game.
