Joakim Noah needs to bounce back in 2015
Joakim Noah enters this season with a lot of pressure on his back. Noah must prove himself all over again, as he is trying to redeem himself after a poor 2014-15 season. Noah was an MVP candidate during the 2013-14 season and was the clear heart and soul of the Bulls team. A knee procedure that off-season diminished Noah physically, and he had a year to forget in the 2014-15 season.
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Noah’s spirit and energy was there all season but unfortunately it didn’t translate to his play on the court. Noah averaged 7.2 points and grabbed 9.6 rebounds per game but shot just 44.5% from the field, the lowest mark of his career. Noah looked uncomfortable playing with new big man Pau Gasol and his knee surgery clearly hampered his ability to perform well.
Noah looked slow on offense and defense and never found a rhythm throughout the season. Noah looked fresh as the new year came around and started to show signs that his knee was getting better, and it showed in his play.
The surge in Noah’s play came to an end shortly after however and he was never able to recover. Noah was particularly poor in the playoffs as he missed layup after layup and defenses weren’t even guarding him as the games went on. The Bulls were essentially playing 4 on 5 on offense when they were facing the Cavaliers. His passing skills were still there but that’s about all he contributed on offense. With his knee clearly ailing him, Noah was unable to rebound and defend at an elite level and was putrid on the offensive end.
So which Noah is gonna show up this season? Noah stated earlier this month that he was humbled by his struggle last season and is excited to prove himself. Noah said he met with new head coach Fred Hoiberg in California and likes the style of basketball he will be implementing. Reports have surfaced that either Noah or Gasol will be coming off the Bulls bench, and all signs point to Noah filling that role.
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This could be great for the Bulls as Noah and Taj Gibson would most likely come off the bench together and those two have a great rapport with one another on the court. Noah couldn’t adjust to playing with another seven footer in Gasol, so that contributed to his struggle. It is clear that Noah plays better with Gibson compared to his play with Gasol as their is more space on the floor for Noah to operate with.
The Bulls are going to have a high up tempo offense under Hoiberg and will be pushing the ball at a rapid pace. Noah can run the floor well for a big man and has shown that in the past. However the Bulls can’t have last year’s hobbled Noah running up and down the floor. They need him to be fluid with the rest of the offense and continue to be the defensive anchor.
The Bulls have good front court depth with Noah, Gibson, Nikola Mirotic and rookie Bobby Portis. Noah needs to get back to the level he was playing at before his injury for the Bulls to compete for a title. He doesn’t need to score at a high rate because that’s never been his skill set. He can’t be missing open layups and dunks however and needs to keep the opposing defense honest. As long as he is rebounding and defending at an elite level, and is making his easy shots on offense, Noah should bounce back in 2015, assuming he is 100%. He will have to show the Bulls that his knee is in fact 100% and that he can regain his playing stature from a season ago.
Health is the big key for him and he must take care of his knee with proper rehab and treatment before and after games. Hoiberg is probably gonna manage the minutes of players better than Thibs did so that’s a positive thing going forward. This is the final year of Noahs’ contract with the Bulls and possibly his last year in Chicago if he doesn’t perform well, so the pressure is on. Noah has always answered the bell in times of pressure before, so no one will be surprised if he comes back stronger in 2015. The Bulls are very hopeful that he does.