New York Knicks Midseason Grades By Position: Center

Joakim Noah has received his share of criticism the first half of the season. He has missed six games this season because of injuries. The biggest knock people have against him is his contract. While the contract is troublesome, Noah does still do some things that are helpful on the court.

Basing Noah’s impact off just raw statistics is a disservice. Noah brings some positives to the table, such as his defense and rebounding ability. He is an excellent screen setter as well, opening up things for his teammates on the offense. Noah is present in four of the Knicks’ six best lineups according to Basketball-Reference. He ranks 30th in ESPN’s RPM for centers.

Those are nice, but the Noah is a huge liability offensively. He is just not a threat with the ball in his hands. His free throw shooting is abysmal, as he is making only 42.9 percent from the charity stripe this season. The Knicks offensive rating, not surprisingly, improves to 105.6 when Noah is on the bench compared to 104.5 with him on the court.

The surprising number is how much better the Knicks are on defense without Noah. Their defensive net rating improves by 3.1 with Noah off the court. That is an eye-popping figure as playing defense is Noah’s calling card. If he is not helping the Knicks in that area, what is the point of having him on the court?

There is not much more the Knicks can change in terms of a game plan with Noah. He is what he is at this point in his career. They just have to hope he shows more of a pulse offensively or he will continue being an overwhelmingly negative player for the team.