NCAA Weekly Performers, 1/22/07-- Part One
Joakim Noah, 6-11, Junior, Power Forward, Florida
24 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 turnovers, 3 blocks, 9-10 FG, 6-6 FT
Jonathan Givony
After shockingly deciding to return for his junior season and passing up the opportunity of potentially becoming the #1 pick in the draft, Joakim Noahs numbers on the year so far havent exactly jumped out off the page at you. 13 points and 8.5 rebounds per game is certainly not terrible, but we might need to dig a bit deeper to understand why he hasnt taken the massive step forward that many expected him to after averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds per game as a sophomore.
First and foremost youd have to start with the team he plays for, the Florida Gators, who are currently unanimously ranked #1 in the country. Only having to play 25 minutes per game with possibly the best backup big man in America in Chris Richard behind him, not to mention a freshman center who well be hearing plenty about in the next few years in Marreese Speights, Floridas coaching staff is certainly preferring to keep him fresh throughout the year rather than letting him put up meaningless stats in garbage-time blowouts. Next to Noah in Floridas starting lineup also play three more players -- Corey Brewer, Al Horford and Taurean Green -- who will almost definitely be drafted by the NBA and probably would be considered legit All-America candidates if they were split up individually on different teams. Their shooting guard, Lee Humphrey (10.5 points per game, 51% FG, 46% 3P in 27 minutes per game) will also play high-level professional basketball when hes done in Gainesville. The same goes for the aforementioned Richard.
On this deep Gator team, Noah surprisingly only attempts the 5th most amount of shots of any of their starters (around 7 per game), even though hes made more field goals than any of them thus far. Hes made more shots than any of them, though, putting him an almost obscene 68% field goal percentage on the year. He gets to the free throw line considerably more than any of his teammates, at over 5 per game in just 25 minutes. That gives him a points per weighted shot (PPWS) index of 1.36, ranking him in that category ahead of fellow big men prospects such as Greg Oden (1.33), Kevin Durant (1.18), Brandan Wright (1.27), Al Horford (1.25), Josh McRoberts (1.09), Aaron Gray (1.18), Tyler Hansbrough (1.19), Glen Davis (1.11), and Jermareo Davidson (0.95), amongst many others.
Against Ole Miss this past Saturday, though, we could finally start throwing those excuses out the window, as Noah finally reminded us of the player the entire country fell in love with last March when he led the Gators to the national championship and was named Final Four MVP. The real treat of watching him might have been seeing him show the scouts in attendance exactly what type of role he can be expected to play once he reaches the NBA.
He was played in the high post for most of the afternoon, and was the player that the Gators made sure to facilitate a good deal of their offense through. He made a number of stunning passes, whipping the ball all over the floor creatively to his teammates for easy looks, the way a 7-footer never should. On one occasion he threaded a one-handed cross-court bullet pass while leaning forward with all his weight on one foot, while on another he heaved a 40-foot rocket baseball pass from half-court to a streaking Al Horford under the basket while bringing the ball up the floor.
Noah also did a nice job showing off his trademark ball-handling skills in the half-court, taking his man off the bounce with a low, tight and flashy dribble, either from the high-post or from the baseline with a quick spin-move. Once he gives up the ball, hes immediately in motion looking to make something happen, setting picks and cutting/rolling to the hoop with purpose for an aggressive finish. His fantastic hands and extraordinarily long arms give him the ability to finish strong even from great distances away from the rim, putting the ball in a spot above his opponents outstretched arms that makes his dunks nearly unblockable. These types of finishes give him the impression of more of a long jumper than the typical high-jumping athlete we are accustomed to, and are quite a spectacle as far as people who compile highlight reels are concerned.
In terms of his activity level, it was nice to see him show the same type of fire that made him one of the most loved (by some) and hated (by others) NCAA players in the country last March. He fought tooth and nail to grab numerous rebounds out of his area on both ends of the floor, and constantly looked to attack once he came away with the board. On defense, hell immediately start dribbling the ball up the court himself, looking quite effortless in the process. On offense, hell instantly explode off the floor looking for contact and any way humanly possible to dunk the ball through the net. His timing in this area is really what separates him from the pack, and is also what makes him an effective shot-blocker at this level.
In terms of weaknesses, he showed many of the concerns that weve always had. First would be his distinct lack of strength, slightly improved over last season, but still worrying considering his narrow frame. He doesnt look much more comfortable operating with his back to the basket than he did last year, and this is probably never going to be a huge part of his game.
Another would be his jump-shot, which hes admitted that he hasnt worked on at all. For someone who is destined to spend a good amount of time facing the basket in the more-space friendly NBA, its imperative for him to develop a consistent 16-18 foot mid-range jump-shot. He threw up only one jumper in the game against Ole Miss, and considering the way it looked coming off his hand and clanking off the rim, thats probably for the best. The last quibble would be with his decision making skills, often causing him to rush plays, look out of control, or just try to do too much at once, usually in the form of turnovers or fouls. Thats something that comes with the territory of being such an intense, high-energy player, though, and with age and experience, a part of his game hell most likely learn to ration.
There seems to be a sentiment out there amongst some scouts and fans that Noah is destined to pan out in the NBA as not much more than a hustling role-player, likely because of the uncertainty regarding where his offense will come from. Its not outrageous to suggest that subconsciously, part of that has to do with the close similarity he bears physically to Anderson Varejao. While that is not out of the question depending on the type of system he lands in (for example, under a very conservative coach on a team with one or two already-established stars), his skill-set is just too unique and diverse to pigeon-hole him that way. The fact that its impossible to come up with an accurate comparison for him to any NBA player, past or present (much like Kevin Durant), shouldnt be held against him. If anything, it should tell you a little bit about the type of prospect he really is, and just how tough of a matchup hes going to be at the next level.
First and foremost youd have to start with the team he plays for, the Florida Gators, who are currently unanimously ranked #1 in the country. Only having to play 25 minutes per game with possibly the best backup big man in America in Chris Richard behind him, not to mention a freshman center who well be hearing plenty about in the next few years in Marreese Speights, Floridas coaching staff is certainly preferring to keep him fresh throughout the year rather than letting him put up meaningless stats in garbage-time blowouts. Next to Noah in Floridas starting lineup also play three more players -- Corey Brewer, Al Horford and Taurean Green -- who will almost definitely be drafted by the NBA and probably would be considered legit All-America candidates if they were split up individually on different teams. Their shooting guard, Lee Humphrey (10.5 points per game, 51% FG, 46% 3P in 27 minutes per game) will also play high-level professional basketball when hes done in Gainesville. The same goes for the aforementioned Richard.
On this deep Gator team, Noah surprisingly only attempts the 5th most amount of shots of any of their starters (around 7 per game), even though hes made more field goals than any of them thus far. Hes made more shots than any of them, though, putting him an almost obscene 68% field goal percentage on the year. He gets to the free throw line considerably more than any of his teammates, at over 5 per game in just 25 minutes. That gives him a points per weighted shot (PPWS) index of 1.36, ranking him in that category ahead of fellow big men prospects such as Greg Oden (1.33), Kevin Durant (1.18), Brandan Wright (1.27), Al Horford (1.25), Josh McRoberts (1.09), Aaron Gray (1.18), Tyler Hansbrough (1.19), Glen Davis (1.11), and Jermareo Davidson (0.95), amongst many others.
Against Ole Miss this past Saturday, though, we could finally start throwing those excuses out the window, as Noah finally reminded us of the player the entire country fell in love with last March when he led the Gators to the national championship and was named Final Four MVP. The real treat of watching him might have been seeing him show the scouts in attendance exactly what type of role he can be expected to play once he reaches the NBA.
He was played in the high post for most of the afternoon, and was the player that the Gators made sure to facilitate a good deal of their offense through. He made a number of stunning passes, whipping the ball all over the floor creatively to his teammates for easy looks, the way a 7-footer never should. On one occasion he threaded a one-handed cross-court bullet pass while leaning forward with all his weight on one foot, while on another he heaved a 40-foot rocket baseball pass from half-court to a streaking Al Horford under the basket while bringing the ball up the floor.
Noah also did a nice job showing off his trademark ball-handling skills in the half-court, taking his man off the bounce with a low, tight and flashy dribble, either from the high-post or from the baseline with a quick spin-move. Once he gives up the ball, hes immediately in motion looking to make something happen, setting picks and cutting/rolling to the hoop with purpose for an aggressive finish. His fantastic hands and extraordinarily long arms give him the ability to finish strong even from great distances away from the rim, putting the ball in a spot above his opponents outstretched arms that makes his dunks nearly unblockable. These types of finishes give him the impression of more of a long jumper than the typical high-jumping athlete we are accustomed to, and are quite a spectacle as far as people who compile highlight reels are concerned.
In terms of his activity level, it was nice to see him show the same type of fire that made him one of the most loved (by some) and hated (by others) NCAA players in the country last March. He fought tooth and nail to grab numerous rebounds out of his area on both ends of the floor, and constantly looked to attack once he came away with the board. On defense, hell immediately start dribbling the ball up the court himself, looking quite effortless in the process. On offense, hell instantly explode off the floor looking for contact and any way humanly possible to dunk the ball through the net. His timing in this area is really what separates him from the pack, and is also what makes him an effective shot-blocker at this level.
In terms of weaknesses, he showed many of the concerns that weve always had. First would be his distinct lack of strength, slightly improved over last season, but still worrying considering his narrow frame. He doesnt look much more comfortable operating with his back to the basket than he did last year, and this is probably never going to be a huge part of his game.
Another would be his jump-shot, which hes admitted that he hasnt worked on at all. For someone who is destined to spend a good amount of time facing the basket in the more-space friendly NBA, its imperative for him to develop a consistent 16-18 foot mid-range jump-shot. He threw up only one jumper in the game against Ole Miss, and considering the way it looked coming off his hand and clanking off the rim, thats probably for the best. The last quibble would be with his decision making skills, often causing him to rush plays, look out of control, or just try to do too much at once, usually in the form of turnovers or fouls. Thats something that comes with the territory of being such an intense, high-energy player, though, and with age and experience, a part of his game hell most likely learn to ration.
There seems to be a sentiment out there amongst some scouts and fans that Noah is destined to pan out in the NBA as not much more than a hustling role-player, likely because of the uncertainty regarding where his offense will come from. Its not outrageous to suggest that subconsciously, part of that has to do with the close similarity he bears physically to Anderson Varejao. While that is not out of the question depending on the type of system he lands in (for example, under a very conservative coach on a team with one or two already-established stars), his skill-set is just too unique and diverse to pigeon-hole him that way. The fact that its impossible to come up with an accurate comparison for him to any NBA player, past or present (much like Kevin Durant), shouldnt be held against him. If anything, it should tell you a little bit about the type of prospect he really is, and just how tough of a matchup hes going to be at the next level.