Big man options available for injury-riddled Portland Trail Blazers
By Ty Delbridge
1. Joakim Noah
At 6’11” and 235 pounds, Joakim Noah is mainly a center in today’s NBA and has been for most of his career, but he has the ability and athleticism to play power forward. He is 34 and played 42 games for the Memphis Grizzlies last season. In his career, so far he has averaged 8.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.
more blazers. Plenty of reasons for excitement in Portland. light
Noah is a high-energy player on both ends of the court who would become a fan favorite in Rip City right away. Noah is a defensive-minded big who likes to protect the rim, take charges and is a strong rebounder.
On offense, he is a good passer and free throw shooter. Noah would be the fifth scoring option when he is on the court, but should be able to get a bucket when he’s about 10-15 feet away from the basket or putting up a shot on an offensive rebound.
The former Defensive Player of the Year is not what he used to be, but could be an intriguing option off of the bench. The Portland Trail Blazers could use his toughness down low and he would pair nicely next to Pau Gasol, Zach Collins and Skal Labissière. He would strengthen this Blazers bench and could also start if Collins or Whiteside gets hurt again during the season.
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Noah might be a guy the Blazers even hold on to when Nurkic returns from his leg injury.