Post by jhb on Feb 25, 2021 10:38:48 GMT -5
Joakim Noah
C
6'11"
230
22
Florida
A two-time national champion and the son of a tennis pro, Joakim Noah is a winner and a leader and will bring a unique skill-set to the team that selects him. Athletically, he's incredibly fluid and moves like a much smaller man and utilizes his long wingspan to be a terror on defense and dominate the boards. Scouts point to his college career and intangibles and think at this point that he's a safe bet to come in and be TMBSL-ready rather than be a developmental prospect with a lot of upside, but that doesn't mean he can't be a tremendous asset to a franchise picking fairly high in this draft.
Offensively, his arsenal of moves to score in the paint is pretty limited; he's mostly just used his explosive athleticism to beat opponents to this point in his career when he looked to score. So far, when he has had the ball in his hands, he has more so flashed as a surprisingly adequate ball-handler and excellent passer out of the high post, a true pivot. Between he and Horford, the Gators had incredibly ball movement from the inside out, creating a lot of easy looks for everyone on the team. He also struggles with his shot, while he was nearly a 70% career free throw shooter in college, his mechanics are wonky and he does not have much confidence in his jumper. Don't expect Noah to ever be any type of stretch big.
Noah will really make his bones on the defensive end at the next level. He is obviously an accomplished post defender and showed the ability to create a bit of havoc with his shot-blocking and quick hands, racking up steals and blocks for the Gators when he was on the court. His fluidity and movement skills also allow him to defend much smaller players on the perimeter much better than you'd expect, using his lateral quickness to stop potential drives in their tracks. He's also very engaged as a rebounder on both ends and his athleticism and wingspan allow him to get to rebounds he has no business getting even when way out of position.
