Chicago Bulls: Joakim Noah Struggling In New Role
Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah is struggling to find his place in Fred Hoiberg‘s new system.
Two seasons ago, Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah had established himself as one of the better players in the NBA at his position. Not only did he post career highs in points (12.6), rebounds (11.3) and assists (5.4), but he was also named Defensive Player of the Year and finished fourth in MVP voting.
Even more importantly — despite the absence of Derrick Rose, — Noah helped the Bulls win 34 of their remaining 48 games, enabling them to finish with the fourth-best record in the conference.
These days, however, things have drastically changed. Not only is Noah coming off the bench for the first time since midway through his second season, but he looks uncertain in regards to how he can contribute in Fred Hoiberg’s fast-paced offense.
For example, in Chicago’s 106-94 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 20, Noah played just 17 minutes and was held scoreless for the second straight game. Furthermore, he had more turnovers (four), than shot attempts (three).
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Unfortunately, when we take a closer look at the numbers, it gets even worse. Through the Bulls first 11 games, Noah has failed to score a point in six of those contests.
That number is significant considering that he was held scoreless in just one game over the past two years. Along with that, Noah, is shooting a career-low 31.6 percent from the field and is just 4-for-13 from the charity stripe, a conversion rate of just 30.8 percent.
But the bad news doesn’t end there.
Remember that memorable 2013-14 campaign that I mentioned earlier? During that season, Noah posted an offensive rating of 111 per 100 possessions. Today, that rating has plummeted to 84 points per 100 possessions, with Noah averaging nearly two less assists per contest, per Basketball-Reference.com. And although Noah has a career player efficiency rating of 18, his rating currently sits at 10.0.
In a word: Wow!
So what exactly is contributing to Noah’s noticeable decline from a scoring standpoint? Here is the assessment that Noah offered to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times:
"“I just got to be more aggressive. I’ve got to be more aggressive offensively, and be up for my opportunities. Right now I’m not really sure where I can get them, but when they come I have to be ready and I have to be ready to score.’’"
But despite the noticeable downward spiral in Noah’s production, Hoiberg doesn’t seem to be worried. In fact, Hoiberg had this to say when he was asked if he was concerned about the lack of offense from his center, via ESPN:
"“I don’t think so. Jo, right now, on offensive rebounds; we talk a lot about trying to look for the open guy on the outside. Obviously, if you have an opening to the basket, you take it. But Jo, I think, has done a good job of kicking it out to our shooters when he gets an offensive rebound, and that’s one of the things we talk about.”"
In light of Hoiberg’s comments, maybe it is too early to hit the panic button. However, the team must find a way for Noah to make his presence felt from an offensive standpoint. Because when Noah’s talents are utilized properly, he can make plays like this one.
But if the Bulls are not able to find a way for Noah to have an impact on the game, then teams will continue to put smaller players on Noah, much like the Warriors did in Chicago’s last outing, which in turn, introduces the possibility of Noah’s role being reduced even further as the season progresses.