Joakim Noah asked to play off bench for Bulls, and it may work
By Tom West
After being an All-NBA first team center in 2013-14, it was Joakim Noah’s idea to play off the bench for the Chicago Bulls this season — and it may work.
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In 2013-14, Joakim Noah was at the height of his career with the Chicago Bulls. He did so much for the team, and with averages of 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.5 blocks and a remarkable 5.4 assists per game, he earned his second All-Star appearance and the title of an All-NBA first team center. Not only was he an elite defender, but he was a serious triple double threat, too.
Now, the same can’t quite be said for Noah. He’s still a great defender, but his overall impact and production seriously decreased last season to just 7.2 points and 9.6 rebounds.
In fact, he’ll now be going one step further by losing his starting role and coming off the bench. But the piece of information that really shows his dedication to the team is that is was his idea.
Zach Lowe of Grantland sat down with Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg, and discussed the roster move to place Noah on the bench:
"Lowe: How was the conversation when you told Joakim he officially wasn’t going to start?Hoiberg: Jo actually came to me and talked to me about that. He said, basically, “I’ve always played well with Taj [Gibson].” He said he thought Niko [Mirotic] and Pau [Gasol] played very well together, so let’s go that route. It was actually Jo that started the whole conversation. He came to me. That says a lot about him.Lowe: Were you already leaning that way anyway — like as early as August or September?Hoiberg: I had thought a lot about a lot of different lineups. I hadn’t come to any type of conclusion. But it was great of Jo to just come and have that conversation.Lowe: Could it flip back? I already get nervous watching those bench units trying to generate offense.Hoiberg: Sure. We’re not married to anything right now. We’ll see how things go. I liked the chemistry of our first group last night [against Cleveland]. I thought the bench guys came out and played well."
For Noah to put aside his ego and starting role to play off the bench speaks volumes about his team-first mindset. He’s always played with great heart and tireless energy, and now his will to do whatever it takes to win is even clearer.
Not many players, if any, say that they shouldn’t start.
Furthermore, his suggestion to play alongside Taj Gibson with the Bulls’ second unit while Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol take the starting roles could work. That is, if the last two can hold their own defensively until either Noah or Gibson check in.
With Mirotic’s terrific offensive ability as a stretch power forward sizing in at 6’10”, next to Gasol’s post prowess and passing, they form a deadly duo at that end of the floor. Mirotic’s three-point shooting is already on full display this season, as he’s averaged a scorching hot 3.5 threes per game while going 58.3 percent from beyond the arc. After such a strong start, he’s averaging 18.5 points per contest this season, and he’ll easily stay somewhere around the 15-16 mark if he keeps playing close to 30 minutes a game.
As for Gasol, he still posted 18.5 points per game last season to return to the All-Star game for the first time in four years. On top of that, he’s still a powerful defender in the paint. Just ask LeBron James after Gasol crushed his attempt at a game-winning layup in their season opener. The Spanish big man-made opponents shoot 6.6 percent worse than normal within six feet of the basket and averaged 1.9 blocks per game for good measure, too. The issue is his lacking speed, which makes him more of a liability when moving away from the basket to defend more agile stretch fours and cover pick-and-rolls.
Despite Pau’s interior presence, though, Mirotic isn’t quite as reliable defensively. He doesn’t excel as a post defender, but players still only shot 0.8 percent higher than normal against him within six feet of the basket last season. Plus, he has decent lateral quickness to partly compensate for Gasol’s 35-year-old legs.
The defensive duo of Noah and Gibson, on the other hand, is terrifying. The former restricted opponents to shoot 8.2 percent lower than average within 10 feet last season, while the latter was simply remarkable by forcing players to shoot an entire 13.8 percent lower than normal within six feet. It’s highly impressive, and it’s a drop in efficiency that very few defenders can achieve. Combine that with Noah’s gritty play, and they could really deliver off the bench.
Together, they’re clearly an absolute defensive force. The real question is can Mirotic and Gasol maintain enough offensive output to compensate for any struggles away from the basket on defense? We’ll wait and see.
However, whether or not this new plan lasts is uncertain, but at 2-0, the Bulls won’t be ending it anytime soon.