This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
After going off for 29 points in his first game as a Jazzman, Joe Johnson was eying another bucket on the practice court Thursday morning. The veteran forward shook his defender with a crossover on the perimeter and made his move to the basket.
The defender, however, wasn't deterred.
"I heard a lot of 'oohs' and 'aahs' on the sideline, so I just had to get him back with something," forward Derrick Favors said with a smile recounting the play later. "… He went in for the layup and I had to hand it back to him, tell him to try again."
At the end of the practice, Johnson joked about the block. "I'm kind of in my feelings about that," he said. Truthfully, of course, it was the kind of recovery he and his Jazz teammates were thrilled to see.
Favors, the Jazz's starting power forward and second leading-scorer a season ago, was finally back on the court and practicing fully for the first time in nearly a month, giving his teammates hope that he could be back in uniform as early as Friday's home opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.
"I felt good," Favors said after the practice. "It was good just to be back on the court, go through a full practice, be back out there with my teammates."
Favors scored 14 points in 23 minutes in the Jazz's preseason opener back on Oct. 3, but has been sidelined ever since with Iliotibial Band Syndrome, an injury common amongst runners. The 6-foot-10 forward said he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary in his training and wasn't sure what caused the problem.
"It just felt kind of funny. Something didn't feel right," Favors said, adding the injury had hampered his ability to run and jump without feeling pain.
Since then, Favors has been resting and receiving regular treatments from the Jazz training staff. Within the past week, he had finally started doing non-contact work in practice before Thursday's breakthrough.
"I wouldn't say I'm at 100 percent now," he said. "But I think I'm at a point now where I can play through it a little bit without aggravating it."
Favors' status for Friday's game won't be officially determined until after the team's morning shootaround at the earliest, when he'll have time to consult with coaches and trainers once again.
"I'll wait until I see how I feel," he said.
After watching from the sidelines for nearly a month, Favors said he is eager to rejoin his teammates.
"I am, because I'm a competitor," Favors said. "At the same time, you've got to be smart. It's a long season, 82 games. You've got to be smart."
The Jazz could certainly use Favors back soon, even if he's not at his best right away. The forward averaged 16.4 points and 8.1 rebounds a game last season and the Jazz, hit hard by injury during preseason, face a difficult stretch of road games after Friday's stop at Vivint SmartHome Arena.
On Thursday, Johnson said Favors looked "great" during his first practice back and Jazz coach Quin Snyder said the forward looked energetic. Even if the Jazz have to balance minutes and let Favors adjust to his new teammates on the fly, Snyder won't mind.
"We're happy to have that problem," Snyder said. "Elated. Integration for us is a question of having a bench. … Even he's rusty, it's good to have him back."
Twitter: @aaronfalk —
Jazz vs. Lakers
P At Vivint SmartHome Arena
Tipoff • Friday, 7 p.m.
TV • ROOT
Radio • 1280 AM, 97.5 FM
Records • Jazz 0-1; Lakers 1-0
Last meeting • Kobe Bryant dropped 60 points in a Lakers victory on the final night of the 2015-16 season.
About the Lakers • With Bryant enjoying retirement, the Lakers and their new coach, Luke Walton, are finally fully dedicated to rebuilding the franchise with a core of young talent, led by DeAngelo Russell and Brandon Ingram. ... Coming off a 120-114 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. … Guard Jordan Clarkson can be an explosive scorer and is coming off a 25-point performance.
About the Jazz • Joe Johnson scored 29 points, but the Jazz dropped their first game of the season, 113-104 Tuesday in Portland. ... Looking for improved bench play; no reserve used in Tuesday's opener finished with a positive plus-minus.... After taking on the Lakers in Salt Lake on Friday, the Jazz will play seven of their next nine games on the road.