Pau Gasol has had a profound effect on Joakim Noah and the Chicago Bulls, but it’s not what you think
When the Chicago Bulls announced that they’d be bringing Pau Gasol in, I immediately went into a fantasy dream sequence where Derrick Rose got healthy, Jimmy Butler turned into a top-5 shooting guard, coach Tom Thibodeau became a bit more gentle and the Bulls boasted the best passing big-man tandem we’ve ever seen. I wasn’t that far off. Let’s focus on the big men for now.
I thought the addition of Gasol was going to bring Noah’s game to a new level on the offensive end. I envisioned Noah continuing to refine his passing game, while not facing nearly as much defensive pressure. Because of that, his field goal percentage was sure to rise and the Bulls offense would vault into the top-10 in the league. Again, I wasn’t that far off there.
But would it surprise you to know that Gasol’s biggest effect on Noah’s game is on the other end of the floor?
Offensively, Noah has struggled (all season, really) more with Gasol next to him. He’s shooting just 45.8 percent with Gasol on the bench and a ghastly (for a center) 43.6 percent when Gasol is on the floor. We’re not going to go too in-depth here, but a key number that stands out is when Noah shoots from inside five feet. With Gasol off the court, Noah shoots 59.3 percent (16-for-27). When Gasol is on the court, that plummets to 42.9 percent (12-for-28). Is Gasol crowding Noah? That’s another story for another day.
Let’s get back to the story — the defensive impact that Gasol has had on Noah.
Although it’s likely more of a combination of factors, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year has been able to focus on sticking closer to the basket while Gasol has been on the court. Virtually every major defensive metric gets better for Noah while Gasol is by his side.
Opponents put up a shooting line of .472/.479/.759 when Noah is in a lineup without Gasol. With the two of them together, those numbers drop drastically — to .445/.329/.738.
Averaged out to per-36 minutes, the Noah/Gasol pairing forces opponents to take 3.8 more 3-point attempts (making 15 percent worse than with Noah out there alone) and Noah goes from a minus-6.7 to a plus-4.9 just by having the 7-foot Spaniard helping him anchor the middle. That’s a big difference.
Noah’s net rating goes from a horrific minus-9.8 without Gasol to a plus-4.7 with him. We could go on and on with the numbers, but the message here is clear — having Gasol on the court has enabled Noah to focus more defensively. He isn’t having to cover as much ground and is able to stick closer to the basket, where he’s been most effective.
When Noah is able to defend from inside 10 feet, he holds his opponents to 41.4 percent shooting. That’s even more impressive when you consider the player’s season field goal percentage of those he’s guarding is 54.9 percent from there. That’s a net of minus-13.6 percent, which is monstrous. Once Noah starts to stray, things change. From greater than 15 feet, his opponents shoot 40 percent, despite shooting 37.9 percent on the season.
You can see the importance of keeping Noah close to the basket, and we see that Gasol has had a huge role in ensuring Noah is able to do just that. If the Bulls can get Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose healthy, that will only enhance these numbers and could lead Noah right back to another Defensive Player of the Year award.
Stats derived from NBA.com
Next: Did Derrick Rose Make The 30 Best Point Guards of All-Time?