Derrick Favors has heard the criticisms. He, more than anyone else, is disappointed with how his injuries hobbled him and kept him back last season. This year it’s going to be different according to the Utah Jazz power forward.

“I’m ready to go,” said Favors. “As soon as the season was over, I took maybe a week off, and I went back work. I knew what I needed to do to get my body right.”

Many before the start of last season had Derrick Favors pegged as the Utah Jazz player that would be an All-Star and All-NBA player first before Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert. But Derrick’s knee had other plans.

“When I hurt my knee I knew I could really move laterally anymore. I couldn’t really explode.”

Derrick Favors had to start from scratch. Without the ability to laterally move last season he had to find different ways to contribute. To his credit, he did. Quin Snyder also moved him to backup center to prevent opposing offenses from isolating him with a quicker player on the perimeter.

When times get tough mentally, a person has to have a good support system. Favors said that he never lost hope that he wasn’t ever going to get healthy again. He cited his support system as helping him through the injuries to keep a positive mentality. Said Favors, “I had to stay positive. I talked to my support system. My family. My mom.”

“I started over from scratch. ... I started over basically.”

It’s a shame that Gordon Hayward left before Derrick Favors was fully healthy, but Derrick understands Gordon’s decision. “I’m not mad at Gordon for leaving. It is a business,” he said. “He made a decision that was good for his family.”

So where will the scoring come from in Gordon’s absence? Derrick Favors has a few ideas.

“I thing it will come from a lot of places. We have a lot of guys who can score. Rodney can score. Alec can score. I can score. Rudy is great around the basket. ... I think a lot of guys are ready to step up to that position.”

When asked about the current political climate and his instagram post from last night that had red X’s through shirts with the number 45, Derrick explained it this way:

“I think it’s more about what he [Trump] says that anything. This is a hard thing to talk about because everyone has different views or something. I think it’s more about what he said. ... You just can’t do that [call someone a son of bitch]. I think everyone still respect the military. Everyone still respect the military. It just what he [Trump] said rubbed people the wrong way.”

It many ways it seems that Favors is already becoming a more vocal leader on this Utah Jazz team in Gordon Hayward’s absence. Speaking out about social issues, getting himself healthy in the offseason, and preparing to take on the scoring mantle. Here’s to hoping Derrick Favors can be this healthy all season long.