NBA Free Agency: 5 Best Low-Stock Targets

1. C Joakim Noah

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Let’s make this clear: Despite an adequate offensive game, the real reason why a team will sign a player like

is to fulfill a need defensively and on the glass.

Last season for the Chicago Bulls, Noah did neither, as he participated in only 29 total games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in January that effectively ended his season. Prior to the surgery, Noah was in the midst of his second consecutive down season.

After scoring 7.2 points and 9.6 rebounds in the 2014-15 campaign, Noah struggled in his 29 appearances in 2015-16, scoring just 4.3 points while grabbing 8.8 rebounds per game.

While the numbers from last year are particularly concerning on the periphery, it must be considered that Noah was not a great fir in Fred Hoiberg’s pace-and-space offensive system, as Noah never seemed to find his footing on either end of the court.

Defensively, Noah remains one of the top man-to-man post defenders in the NBA, utilizing his lateral quickness and toughness to lock down the paint and make it difficult for opposing offensive players to produce.

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He will flourish most from an offensive perspective for a team that is running more half-court-heavy sets, but if healthy, Noah should continue to rebound at a high clip while continuing the post defense that has defined his career.