The two-time All-Star center has been slowed by injuries the past two years. But his unusual skill set could be the difference between a good Knicks team and the one we already know

By CHRIS HERRING
July 26, 2016 3:55 p.m. ET

It’s hard to know what to make of the Knicks heading into next season, but at least their roster, for the first time in years, has real intrigue.

With Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah joining Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony at Madison Square Garden, New York undoubtedly has playoff-level talent if—and that “if” will define whatever the Knicks can become—the team can stay healthy.

Noah, a two-time All-Star center and former NBA Defensive Player of the Year who has been slowed by knee and shoulder injuries the past two years, exemplifies that better than anyone, given the lack of experience and depth behind him.

The upside of getting a player like Noah is difficult to quantify. Aside from his sheer talent, it’s too soon to know how his intangibles—he was the rugged heartbeat of the Bulls’ defenses and a locker-room favorite for nearly a decade—might shake up the culture of the Knicks.

In terms of things that can be measured, though, Noah should fit much of what the Knicks hope to do under their new coach, Jeff Hornacek.

“Whatever it takes to make it work. Whether that means staying at the elbow to make plays for my teammates, or tipping the ball to get extra possessions—whatever I got to do,” Noah said.

Noah’s game is unusual in the sense that he excels in areas where most centers struggle, and is arguably worst at the one thing most big men can do without trying—shooting from close range.

Noah moves extraordinarily well for a 31-year-old, 6-foot-11 center. Unlike Robin Lopez, whom the Knicks shipped to Chicago as part of the trade that landed Rose, Noah hasn’t been a great rim protector in recent years, but he’s still comfortable switching onto guards and quicker wing players near the perimeter. Despite playing five fewer minutes a game last season, Noah defended more shots from outside of 15 feet than Lopez did. And where opponents shot extremely well (8.8 percentage points better than their average) from that range against Lopez, Noah held perimeter shooters below their season averages.

The downside: Noah’s knack for covering defensive ground out near the perimeter will almost certainly leave Porzingis with more rebounding responsibilities in the trenches. As a result, Anthony will have to do more on the defensive boards, even after quietly posting career-high defensive-rebounding numbers last season.

Noah’s unusual mobility is visible on offense, too. He played at an average speed of 4.73 miles per hour last season—faster than every Knicks’ rotation player aside from Sasha Vujacic (4.78), according to SportVU—which should help him in Hornacek’s up-tempo attack. It’s also not uncommon to see him grab a rebound and dribble it out past half-court to start a fast break.

But it is his passing ability that truly sets him apart. Noah averaged 6.2 assists per 36 minutes of action last season, according to Basketball-Reference. No other NBA center logged more than four. Also noteworthy: His assists led to 3-pointers 33% of the time (higher than Rose’s 29.2%), a surprisingly high figure considering the Bulls attempted 3-pointers just 24.4% of the time in 2015-16, the seventh-lowest rate in the league.

A remarkably crafty passer, Noah often threads the needle from the elbow to find a teammate making a backdoor cut. And a considerable number of his assists are dribble-handoffs, when he buys an extra split-second for a shooter by throwing his hip, shoulder or backside into a trailing defender.

In Chicago, Noah’s screens clearly benefited Rose, who shot 46% over the past two seasons when following a Noah screen, and 42% off picks from other teammates. In New York, this could pay off most with outside shooters like Courtney Lee and Anthony. With Anthony specifically, Noah has big shoes to fill: Anthony shot nearly 43% last year when Lopez screened for him, and just 31% when anyone else set the screen, according to an analysis run by SportVU.

But for everything Noah does remarkably well, he isn’t without clear weaknesses. Among the biggest, assuming he’s healthy enough to play a full season: his shooting woes from the restricted area, where, among players with 100 tries, he shot a league worst 42.1% last year.

Some of that may stem from Noah’s lack of lift due to injuries. Over the past two seasons, he shot 48.4% from inside of 4 feet when playing on one day of rest or less; the rate shot up to almost 59% when he played on two days’ rest, according to Stats LLC.

Regardless of why he struggles from close range, it could become problematic for the Knicks if opposing defenses simply ignore Noah—like Washington did in the playoffs against Chicago two years ago—because they don’t fear his ability to convert on jumpers or layups.

Taken all together, Noah has the ability to improve the way the Knicks defend, rebound and pass. Depending on how Anthony and Porzingis adjust, those skills could be the difference between a return to the playoffs and another disappointing era of Knicks basketball.