13 - Joakim Noah
Florida
- Birthday: 2/25/85
- NBA Position: Power Forward
- Class: Junior
- Ht: 6-11
- Wt: 230
- Hometown: New York, NY
- High School: Lawrenceville
- Team Site Profile
- 2006 Statistics

8
9
8
7
7
9
6
8
8
8
7
8
Overall
93
NBA Comparison: Tyson Chandler (higher basketball IQ)
Aran Smith - 3/23/2006
Strengths: Plays with great energy and passion ... A fierce competitor, has the same drive to win as his tennis great father Yannick Noah ... Great leadership ability, inspires his teammates to raise their level of play ... Passes well from the high post, or when doubled inside ... His ability to create shots for others is rare for a big ... Has shown tremendous improvement from his freshman to sophomore season ... Incredibly long wing span allows him to get dunks and rebounds that most players could not ... A finesse player with good fluidity and agility in the open floor ... Touch is decent around the basket ... Free throw shooting has shown solid improvement ... Good shot blocker because of his length ... Raises his level of play in important games ... Still learning the game ...
Weaknesses: Struggles to fit an NBA position ... Lacks a great body for an interior player, adding strength is a big question mark ... Lacks the foot speed to play on the perimeter ... Doesn't have great offensive skills, gets most of his baskets in transition or rebounds ... Has no shot outside of 5 feet ... Needs to develop some inside moves ... Narrow shoulders makes adding weight to his frame difficult ... He is 227 pounds now and likely will max out around 235-240 ... Gets pushed out of the lane by much smaller players due to his lack of lower body strength ... His form on his shot is not always consistent, should work on his shot mechanics (they are easily correctable) ...
Weaknesses: Struggles to fit an NBA position ... Lacks a great body for an interior player, adding strength is a big question mark ... Lacks the foot speed to play on the perimeter ... Doesn't have great offensive skills, gets most of his baskets in transition or rebounds ... Has no shot outside of 5 feet ... Needs to develop some inside moves ... Narrow shoulders makes adding weight to his frame difficult ... He is 227 pounds now and likely will max out around 235-240 ... Gets pushed out of the lane by much smaller players due to his lack of lower body strength ... His form on his shot is not always consistent, should work on his shot mechanics (they are easily correctable) ...

Matthew Maurer - 12/13/2006
Weaknesses: Upper body strength needs to improve which would benefit him in several ways. But it should be noted that his body type (narrow shoulders) suggests that he will never have much bulk ... Despite being a solid shot blocker, he bites on pump fakes far too easy and lacks timing Picks up careless fouls due to his high energy level as he gets a little to aggressive Still goes through periods where he doesnt make the best decisions though not because of court intelligence but excess passion and intensity Offensively Noahs back to the basket game remains undeveloped Would really benefit in working on his post footwork, a turnaround jumper, and a solid up and under move Athletically he is not what one would call a superior athlete, gets everything though his strong will Double teams can trouble him as he fails to read and react quickly enough Lack of strength hurts him from setting up and getting good low post position Below average mid-range shooter who lacks consistency and must continue to expand his range. The mechanics on his shooting form is something out of a horror movie, and even with a lot of work on it hasnt shown much improvement (but he shoots free throws at a respectable clip) There will be some concern about what his natural NBA position is
Notes: Son of tennis legend Yannick Noah ... Was the driving force in Florida's 2006 National Championship run winning MVP of the tournament ... Turned down being a likely top 3 draft pick in the 2006 draft, returning to school to help the Gators attempt to repeat as champs and improve his game.