https://youtu.be/1wKp9yHwVlI
Joakim Noah
- Position: Center
- 2016-17 Averages: 22.1 MPG, 5.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.8 BPG
- 2016-17 Slash Line: .495/.000/.436
Isiah Thomas might finally be able to get redemption over the Jerome James contract. Phil Jackson’s signing of Joakim Noah is shaping up to outdo all of Thomas’ failures.
Noah is not the defensive presence the Knicks paid $72 million for, and his ineptitude on offense has become even more apparent. The amount of putback attempts he just flails at and wildly misses is hard to believe.
Noah is 11th in putback plays (104) and just the 16th percentile of efficiency points per possession. The big man has missed 53 putback attempts and the Knicks score on just 42.3 percent of those possessions.
He wasn’t expected to score, but his passing was supposed to be an asset. Noah is averaging just 2.2 assists per game (his lowest total since the 2010-11 season) which ranks him fourth on the team.
According to NBA.com, Noah is just fifth on the team in passes made. For context, in the 2013-14 season when he led Chicago in assists (5.2) Noah was fourth in the entire league in passes made.
It’s been a brutal decline for Noah, and the Knicks should’ve seen it coming. The injury concerns about the former Defensive Player of the Year have proven to be justified. Noah has missed 11 games in total this season, including the last five due to a hamstring injury.
The 31-year-old is being outplayed by his younger backups, particularly Willy Hernangomez, on offense and defense. It makes sense that Hernangomez should replace Noah in the starting lineup. In the three starts, the rookie is averaging 11.7 points and 11.0 rebounds on 53.8 percent shooting.
