New York Knicks: What Every Starter Must Improve Upon After 20 Games

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Nov 28, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Joakim Noah (13) reacts after scoring a basket during the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

Center: Joakim Noah

Experience: 10th Season
2016-17 Slash Line: .452/.000/.240
2016-17 Season Averages: 22.6 MPG, 3.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.0 ORPG, 2.9 APG, 0.9 BPG, 0.8 SPG
In Need Of Improvement: Free Throw Shooting

There are a number of areas in which Joakim Noah needs to improve. The New York Knicks need Noah to be more consistent on defense, more decisive on offense, and more durable as the season progresses.

If there’s one area that’s a microcosm for Noah’s struggles, however, it’s his uncharacteristically repulsive free throw shooting.

Noah is a career 70.4 percent free throw shooter who’s converting at a clip of 24.0 percent in 2016-17. There’s no rational way to explain his decline of 46.4 percent other than to chalk it up to being something that ranges well beyond a decline in skill.

Noah’s issues appear to be more mental than physical in 2016-17, which is why an improvement at the charity stripe could be the key to his finding better overall form.

Noah is a 31-year-old whose success has been based around his ability to throw his body around and both absorb and dish out physicality. The hurdle for Noah at this stage of his career will be figuring out how his body reacts and what style coincides with his physical capabilities.

Once he figures that out, his confidence should be stronger and his free throw shooting should improve accordingly.

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