New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis Calls Joakim Noah Missing Piece

New York Knicks phenom Kristaps Porzingis weighed in on embattled center Joakim Noah. His take: a healthy Noah is New York’s missing piece.

The New York Knicks entered the 2016-17 regular season with one of the most recognizable rosters in the NBA. There was a Defensive Player of the Year, an MVP, a scoring champion, and a young phenom who had taken the Association by storm.

Unfortunately, injuries and off-court distractions amounted to New York winning just 31 games during what was a generally disappointing season.

No one player can carry the burden of blame, nor can any individual be stripped of it. True as that may be, many believe that one of the primary culprits of New York’s inconsistency was starting center Joakim Noah.

According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Kristaps Porzingis believes that Noah is the player who could have kept the team committed to the system had he not been injured.

"“There was, especially at the start of the season,’’ Porzingis said. “Noah is a player who always used to play in the system, he knows the right way [to play], so he doesn’t want to step away from it and maybe we needed a guy just like him. Right now, he maybe doesn’t play as well as he wants, so it was in some ways hard to be that leader.”Porzingis continued:“[Carmelo Anthony] off the court is calm. There are rare moments when he heats up about something, [Derrick] Rose is quiet, he barely talks. So Noah was the guy who tried to talk, tried to help and spoke to coaches, too. But even he could not influence the wrong decisions we made. It was difficult. But Joakim is the guy – he maybe did not play at the level we all wanted, but he could say loud things others did not want to say.’’That type of presence is invaluable to any team, let alone a team with postseason and, in a perfect world, championship aspirations.Noah was signed to a four-year contract worth $72 million during the 2016 offseason. Team president Phil Jackson signed the veteran due to a combination of his defensive prowess and respected leadership ability.As Porzingis alluded to, however, Noah was unable to emerge as the leader he’s capable of being due to his inability to remain on the court and play at a high level.If he can’t become a star again, then the hope in New York is that Noah can return to starting-caliber form following the surgery he recently underwent on his right shoulder.Noah finished the 2016-17 regular season with averages of 5.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.5 offensive rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.7 steals in 22.1 minutes per game. He did so on an underwhelming slash line of .490/.000/.436.Despite entering the 2016-17 season as a career 71.1 percent free throw shooter, he failed to eclipse 44 percent shooting from the charity stripe.Noah’s surprising inconsistency at the free throw line was a microcosm of what plagued Noah during his first year with the Knicks: an evident discomfort within his own body.Noah rebounded and facilitated at a high level, but seemed a step slow on the defensive end of the floor. That was surprising and disappointing to see, as Noah won the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year award and received three All-Defensive Team nods.Noah was also named to the All-NBA First Team in 2013-14 and made a pair of All-Star Game appearances before his recent and sharp decline.Next season, Porzingis and the Knicks will trust Noah to return in style. He missed 36 games in 2016-17 and will be suspended for the first 12 games of the 2017-18 campaign, but he should be healthier after spending an extensive period of time away from the game.At 32 years of age, Noah will need to experience a career renaissance in order to justify the remaining $55,590,000 that he’s due over the next three seasons.Must Read: Tracking Kristaps Porzingis' progressAt the very least, Kristaps Porzingis and the New York Knicks will need Joakim Noah to be the leader he’s expected to be during the 2017-18 NBA regular season.Published on 04/27/2017 at 1:59 PM EDTLast updated on 04/27/2017 at 1:59 PM EDT “There was, especially at the start of the season,’’ Porzingis said. “Noah is a player who always used to play in the system, he knows the right way [to play], so he doesn’t want to step away from it and maybe we needed a guy just like him. Right now, he maybe doesn’t play as well as he wants, so it was in some ways hard to be that leader.”“[Carmelo Anthony] off the court is calm. There are rare moments when he heats up about something, [Derrick] Rose is quiet, he barely talks. So Noah was the guy who tried to talk, tried to help and spoke to coaches, too. But even he could not influence the wrong decisions we made. It was difficult. But Joakim is the guy – he maybe did not play at the level we all wanted, but he could say loud things others did not want to say.’’That type of presence is invaluable to any team, let alone a team with postseason and, in a perfect world, championship aspirations.Noah was signed to a four-year contract worth $72 million during the 2016 offseason. Team president Phil Jackson signed the veteran due to a combination of his defensive prowess and respected leadership ability.As Porzingis alluded to, however, Noah was unable to emerge as the leader he’s capable of being due to his inability to remain on the court and play at a high level.If he can’t become a star again, then the hope in New York is that Noah can return to starting-caliber form following the surgery he recently underwent on his right shoulder.Noah finished the 2016-17 regular season with averages of 5.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.5 offensive rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.7 steals in 22.1 minutes per game. He did so on an underwhelming slash line of .490/.000/.436.Despite entering the 2016-17 season as a career 71.1 percent free throw shooter, he failed to eclipse 44 percent shooting from the charity stripe.Noah’s surprising inconsistency at the free throw line was a microcosm of what plagued Noah during his first year with the Knicks: an evident discomfort within his own body.Noah rebounded and facilitated at a high level, but seemed a step slow on the defensive end of the floor. That was surprising and disappointing to see, as Noah won the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year award and received three All-Defensive Team nods.Noah was also named to the All-NBA First Team in 2013-14 and made a pair of All-Star Game appearances before his recent and sharp decline.Next season, Porzingis and the Knicks will trust Noah to return in style. He missed 36 games in 2016-17 and will be suspended for the first 12 games of the 2017-18 campaign, but he should be healthier after spending an extensive period of time away from the game.At 32 years of age, Noah will need to experience a career renaissance in order to justify the remaining $55,590,000 that he’s due over the next three seasons.Must Read: Tracking Kristaps Porzingis' progressAt the very least, Kristaps Porzingis and the New York Knicks will need Joakim Noah to be the leader he’s expected to be during the 2017-18 NBA regular season.Published on 04/27/2017 at 1:59 PM EDTLast updated on 04/27/2017 at 1:59 PM EDT “[Carmelo Anthony] off the court is calm. There are rare moments when he heats up about something, [Derrick] Rose is quiet, he barely talks. So Noah was the guy who tried to talk, tried to help and spoke to coaches, too. But even he could not influence the wrong decisions we made. It was difficult. But Joakim is the guy – he maybe did not play at the level we all wanted, but he could say loud things others did not want to say.’’"