Post by zeropointzero on Sept 24, 2010 19:13:57 GMT -5
Joakim Noah
Age: 21
Height: 6'11''
Weight: 230
Position: PF/C
Inside = B-: Offensively, Noah is one of the more unique players in the NCAA. Inside the paint he can score like you expect your near 7-footer to, relishing contact, always finishing strong and showing the raw ability to finish with either hand around the hoop. The jump-hook is currently his weapon of choice, and he’s able to get shots off thanks to his combination of tenacity, slithery quickness, reasonable foot-work and outstanding length. Despite being extremely unselfish, he’s the type of player that wants the ball in his hands as much as possible and will work extremely hard to establish deep position in the paint to attack the basket. His touch here is improving all the time, although his lack of strength will sometimes affect him by throwing the ball too high off the glass. If it’s at all possible, though, there is nothing Noah enjoys more than finishing with a thunderous dunk.
Outside = C-: One thing that is really holding him back from being a complete and extremely dynamic power forward is his perimeter shooting ability. Noah makes many of the mid-range jumpers he takes, but his release is incredibly awkward; bringing the ball up from his waist and shooting the ball from his nose in one fluid motion, soft of heaving the ball towards the basket. If you watch him closely go up for two handed lay-ups right around the basket, you’ll notice that these same mechanics are evident here as well. He’s at least extremely consistent with his release every time he shoots it and his touch is surprisingly good, particularly from the free throw line. NBA people we’ve talked to don’t seem to think this is going to be too hard to fix, but it will be up to Noah to want to correct.
Handling = C: What makes Noah all the more intriguing, though, are the many guard skills he shows operating from the perimeter in half-court sets as well as in transition on either end of the fast break. After a rebound, Noah loves to bring the ball up the floor himself to ignite the fast break if the lane is available and his guards are not ready to take the pass. Florida has used him as a legit weapon this year in breaking the full-court press, and Noah has been extremely reliable in his decision making here. He shows outstanding ball-handling skills for a player his size, weaving his way in and out of traffic impressively, always with his head up and having the fluidity and reactiveness to avoid smaller players looking to slide in for the charge.
Defense = B-: Defensively, Noah puts just as much, if not more pride in on this end of the floor. He shows a lot of potential as a shot-blocking threat, utilizing his terrific length, excellent instincts, intelligence, timing, tenacity and athleticism to average just under 2 and a half blocks in 24 minutes during the regular season and 4.8 in 33.5 minutes in the NCAA tournament. Defending man to man, Noah does not give his opponent any space to operate, bumping him with his chest, challenging him, keeping his arms high and changing just as many shots around the rim as he sends back. Noah’s relentless style of play can sometimes get him into early foul trouble, and it’s no coincidence that Florida lost every time this year (3, of their 6 total losses) that he had to sit with five fouls. He has a tendency at times to leave his feet early biting on pump-fakes, but has shown an infinite amount of improvement in this part of his game compared with last season.
Rebounding = B-: The same attributes above that make him an excellent shot-blocking threat also make him a terrific rebounder. He’s very active on the glass, going after anything that is remotely in his area and having good hands and perfect length to get the job done.
Potential = A: Noah blossomed into a legit college superstar over the last few months of his sophomore season, winning the MVP award for the Minneapolis region of the NCAA tournament, and elevating his stock firmly into the top 10 of the NBA draft lottery should he decide to declare. He has consistently maintained that he is extremely happy in college with his teammates, living with the other 3 members of Florida’s outstanding sophomore class and saying he has no interest in declaring for the NBA draft. It’s possible that once the euphoria of reaching the Final Four subsides, Noah could begin to consider his NBA options when he realizes the risk in passing up being a likely top 5 or 10 pick rather than return as a 22 year old junior next season.
