Schmeelk: The Odd Impact of Joakim Noah
By John Schmeelk
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Joakim Noah has had a big impact on the Knicks this year, but it isn't the one most people would have expected. Noah has the best plus/minus on the Knicks' roster. In fact, he is the only Knick on the roster who has a positive plus/minus. Besides Noah, every other Knicks player has been outscored while they have been on the floor. But it has very little to do with Noah's defense.
The Knicks' defense is better when Noah is on the floor, but only by two points per one hundred possessions. It's significant but lower than someone would expect given Noah's backup is Kyle O'Quinn. Noah is supposed to be a difference maker on defense when it comes to communication and defending the pick-and-roll. He has been neither. Oddly, there are far too many times when defending the screener on a pick-and-roll he hangs way back in the paint asserting little pressure on the ball handler and giving him an open midrange jump shot.
The other part of Noah's game that has been weak is his rebounding. He's averaging only 7.3 rebounds per game, and only 5.2 of those come on the defensive end. The Knicks have been the worst defensive rebounding team in the league this year, and Noah has not helped. In fact, the team has grabbed 5 percent more or their defensive rebound opportunities when Noah is off the floor. Noah doesn't seem to have a lot of spring in his legs, but that might improve as he gets his legs under him after missing most of last season.
With Robin Lopez, who was shipped to Chicago in the Derrick Rose trade, the Knicks were right around the middle of the league last year in terms of defensive rebounding. Last season, they were 18th in defensive efficiency. They are dead last in both categories this season. Noah has not been the solution for the Knicks' defensive problems so far. He is far from the biggest culprit, but at least so far, he has not been a positive difference maker, either.
Offense, however, shows a much greater impact for Noah. The Knicks are 28.5 points per 100 possessions better on offense when Noah is playing.
Huh? We all know about Noah's passing skills, but otherwise he was a fairly terrible offensive player over the last couple years. It got to the point that opponents didn't even have to guard him since he missed point-blank shots at the rim regularly. We've seen defenders drop off him a bunch this year, but it hasn't had a negative impact on the Knicks' offense.
Inside of 10 feet, Noah is shooting 57 percent, a good number, especially so considering that he shot 39 percent on those shots last season and 47 percent the year before. Whether he can continue that kind of efficiency remains to be seen, but so far Noah has been a far better finisher around the basket than anyone could have expected. It makes him a far more effective screener in pick-and-rolls.
Noah has also been an excellent passer, which has been featured when the Knicks decide to run the offense through him on the elbow. He's averaging 4.7 assists per game to just 1.3 turnovers. As the center, he is probably the team's best passer.
Whether or not this trend of helping the team more offensively for Noah continues is unknown. Based on his history, it seems unlikely. It's still a very small sample size. It might also be skewed by the players he is on the floor with. But for now, Noah is helping the Knicks offensively far more than he is on defense. Given the Knicks' spot as the league's worst defensive team in terms of points per possession, that needs to change fast.
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