Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 bargain bin targets in 2019 NBA free agency
4. Joakim Noah
When free agency starts the Thunder may be in need of some big-man depth.
Last season the team started Steven Adams and Jerami Grant at center and power forward, respectively, with Nerlens Noel, Markieff Morris and Patrick Patterson as their backups.
Morris is an unrestricted free agent who most likely won’t be back with the team while Noel has a player option that presumably won’t be picked up. That leaves the Thunder with Patterson, who’s lack of performance resulted in his benching for Morris, as their only backup big-man.
Because of the relative lack of depth in the frontcourt, Adams and Grant both finished in the top 20 players in the league in minutes played. One veteran who may be able to alleviate the overwhelming playing time of the frontcourt duo is Joakim Noah.
At 34 years old, Noah may have one good year of basketball left in him. He is familiar with Thunder coach Billy Donovan from his college days when the two won back-to-back NCAA national championships.
Noah provides a lot of what the Thunder look for in a center: Good screening, defensive discipline and filling a role. Although raw statistics don’t fully encapsulate what the team values, Noah is an upgrade from Noel in that aspect.
| Rk | Player | Season | Age | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joakim Noah | 2018-19 | 33 | 42 | 16.5 | 2.6 | 5.1 | .516 | 2.6 | 5.0 | .519 | .516 | 1.9 | 2.6 | .716 | 1.4 | 4.3 | 5.7 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 7.1 |
| 2 | Nerlens Noel | 2018-19 | 24 | 77 | 13.7 | 2.1 | 3.6 | .587 | 2.1 | 3.6 | .587 | .587 | 0.7 | 1.0 | .684 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 4.9 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/21/2019.
The biggest worry in signing Noah is his health. In his past four seasons, he has played in a mere 124 games. If the Thunder doctors deem him ready to play he could provide much-needed depth on a cheap contract.