Chicago Bulls Talk: Is Joakim Noah the Best Center?

Welcome back Pippen Peoples to another edition of Chicago Bulls Talk! This segment on Pippen Ain’t Easy features one of the leaders in the locker room and the anchor of the stingiest defense in the NBA. Pippen Ain’t Easy presents…Joakim Noah.

He’s coming off a career season, one in which he took home Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named to the All-NBA 1st Team. He willed his team to a top four seed in the playoffs after injury and trade up-ended the roster, and finished fourth in MVP voting. Even with Dwight Howard, Marc Gasol, and the promising DeMarcus Cousins roaming the paint the question begs asking: is Joakim Noah the best center in the league?

In the not so distant past the notion would have been laughable. This is the same guy who was suspended by a unanimous vote from his own teammates his rookie season in 2008. The Florida alum who was once known best for his unruly hair and even more unruly behavior has morphed from a player who showed up late to practices and failed to earn the respect of his teammates into perhaps the NBA’s fiercest competitor, a legitimate two-way force and a consummate team player. Now he shows up early, stays late, and treats each practice like it’s game 7 of the finals. Needless to say, the dedication has paid off and he’s now firmly in the discussion for league’s best center.

Noah’s points per game average might not wow you, but it’s worth noting he attempted the fewest field goals per game in the group. Everywhere else he compares very favorably to his competitors, particularly when you look at advanced stats and assists. When Derrick Rose went down with a torn meniscus 10 games into the season Noah became Chicago’s best distributor, picking apart defenses from the high post by finding cutters with nifty bounce passes, hitting open shooters, even throwing pinpoint lobs to Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler for alley-oop jams.

Thrust into the role of the league’s only point-center, Noah displayed an affinity for setting up teammates at a historical clip. On March 2nd against the Knicks Noah tallied 14 assists to go along with his 13 points and 12 rebounds. It was the most assists recorded by a center since 1986 and the beginning of a magical month for Noah, as we saw him rack up 120 helpers (the highest monthly output by a center since Wilt Chamberlain amassed 155 in March of 1968), while Chicago shot up the standings.

For the season, Noah had an assist rate of 26.4%, an absurd number for a center. Marc Gasol, generally regarded as one of the best passing big-men around, finished with an assist rate of 17.7%. His passing ability gets most of the press, but the rest of his offensive game has developed nicely as well.

Though his “tornado” jump shot would never be described as aesthetically pleasing, he hits them enough to keep the defense honest. Last season he connected on 40% of his shots from 16 feet to the three-point line. Not spectacular, but it’s on par with Tim Duncan’s career average from the same distance, and it’s enough of a threat that it draws his defender out far enough to open up cutting lanes for his teammates and driving lanes for himself.

He’s a skilled ball-handler for a player his size, capable of taking his man off the dribble both ways and finishing with either hand. His lefty jump hook has become very reliable, he can snare a rebound and lead the fast break, and he ferociously attacks the offensive glass, to boot. He finished with the fourth highest total of offensive rebounds last year, especially impressive considering his role in the offense often has him 15 feet from the hoop when the shot goes up.

Simply put, Noah’s presence positively impacts virtually every aspect of the offense. In fact, other than turning the ball over at a slightly higher clip, Chicago’s offense performs better in every area when he’s on the court. This is in contrast to the Rockets, Grizzlies, or Kings, whose offense is only marginally affected when Howard, Gasol, or Cousins aren’t on the floor. In some areas their offenses are actually better statistically.

While he was busy greasing the pistons of the Bulls offense he was also anchoring the league’s stingiest defense (91.8 ppg), and finishing with the association’s best defensive rating. His 6.6 defensive win shares were also tops in the league. Head coach Tom Thibodeau gets a lot of credit for his defensive scheme, but it doesn’t work as effectively without a defensive juggernaut like Noah.

Noah is an extremely versatile defender, big and strong enough to protect the rim at a high level but also quick and rangy enough cover perimeter players successfully on switches and in pick-and-roll situations. It’s no secret that the pick-and-roll has become a main staple of NBA offenses. The outlawing of hand-checking, the introduction of the defensive three-second rule, and the rise of mobile big-men who can stretch the floor have made the game far more conducive to perimeter players and as a result, the pick-and-roll is now being used in different variations more than ever before.

Chicago’s system for defending the high pick-and-roll essentially goes like this: the on-ball defender forces the ball-handler to his off-hand, while the man guarding the screener, primarily Noah or Taj Gibson, camps out around the free throw line. Noah has the foot speed to stop the dribble penetration of the ball-handler long enough for the man being screened to recover, or to finish the defensive possession with on-ball defense. His ability to stop the drive of smaller players cannot be overlooked. It allows teammates guarding spot up shooters on the wing to stay home, preventing kick outs for open looks, and usually forces the man with the ball into taking a long, two-point shot or to regroup and run something else. If the ball-handler does decide to challenge Noah he can slide with them and force a tough shot.

Here we see Jimmy Butler get screened by Noah’s man, Spencer Hawes. Noah positions himself at the free-throw line, hoping to bait Evan Turner into an inefficient mid-range jumper. Because of Noah’s capabilities Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson are not forced to help on the drive and are able to close off passing lanes to wing shooters. Turner turns down the shot and decides to attack the basket before Butler can recover, so Noah moves his feet and disrupts the shot that Turner ultimately misses badly.

Traditional pick-and-roll or not, it doesn’t really matter. Here LeBron James gives a dribble handoff to Dwyane Wade while Chris Bosh sets a back-pick on Keith Bogans at the elbow, compelling Noah to switch onto Wade. In most situations a center isolated in the middle of the floor against one of the most dynamic players in the league spells doom for the defense, but with Noah it’s no problem. He stays in front, contests the shot, and comes away with the blocked shot.

Side pick-and-rolls follow the same defensive principles, only the on-ball defender forces his man baseline where Noah is waiting. This strategy is commonly called “icing” the pick-and-roll, and is the opposite of “hedging” the pick. Many teams defend these “shake” pick-and-rolls in the same manner, but of course few do it as effectively as Chicago.

Here’s why: the league is chock full of guards able to get around the screener’s man and score, and it’s susceptible to exploitation when the screener is a threat on a pick-and-pop. It can also leave shooters open on the weak side if their defender is forced to sag into the lane to help out. Just as was displayed above, the confidence in Noah to prevent an inside shot allows weak side defenders to stay on their man, preventing the cross-court pass. There are very few in the league that have the ability to protect the rim and also close out to their man on the perimeter should the ball-handler throw it out to them. Noah is one of those few and does the job better than anyone. Even when teams run the pick-and-roll away from Noah his mobility enables him to provide tremendous help defense without risking his man getting an open look. This helps cover the deficiencies of teammates.

For the same reason Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were viewed as “improved defenders” once they teamed up with Kevin Garnett in Thibodeau’s system, players like Kyle Korver and Marco Belinelli suddenly became “improved defenders” when they teamed up with Noah.

Last year Korver’s defensive rating was 108: a noticeable jump from his 101 rating his last year in Chicago. Coincidence? You often hear the statement; “Player X makes his teammates better”. Noah is the perfect example of that, both offensively and defensively.

Stats are great, but Noah’s greatest attributes don’t show up in the box score. His heart and determination were what transformed Chicago from a lottery-bound team to top-4 seed in the playoffs. On January 7^th the Bulls, already without Rose, began life without Luol Deng. He was traded to Cleveland for Andrew Bynum, who was immediately released. Chicago sat with a record of 14-18 and the situation looked bleak. Not surprisingly, the word “tanking” was being used frequently among the talking heads when discussing the front office’s intentions with the trade.

If that was the plan, Noah didn’t get the memo. The brazen big man rallied the troops and raised his game as he led Chicago to a 34-16 record the rest of the way. In that stretch Noah averaged 13.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.3 steals a game. There are no questions about his leadership, will to win, or maturity. The same cannot be said about his peers at the position, and for these reasons Joakim Noah has in fact become the NBA’s best center.