On the heels of a tremendous tournament performance, Joakim Noah might be on his way to the pros. ESPN’s Chad Ford discusses the NBA stock of the major players in the Final Four [Insider subscription required].
He says that Noah, along with Al Horford and Corey Brewer, would be lottery picks, if they declare.
Noah did a little of everything in the tournament — scored both inside and out, blocked shots at a record pace, crashed the glass on both ends, handled the ball on the break, made passes only point guards are supposed to know how to make.
Scouts worry about his lack of strength and relatively raw skills on the offensive end. But those concerns pale in comparison to his upside. Noah has been fairly adamant that he’s returning to school. But now that he’s won a championship and is a virtual lock as a top-five pick, our guess is that he’s in the NBA next year.
Noah had a great tournament, but I worry about his lack of a 15-foot jumper. If he’s going to play power forward in the pros, he’ll need to develop that quickly. Right now, he looks lost when he faces up to shoot from outside the lane.
Ford goes on to say that, of the three, Horford would benefit the most from another year in school. Brewer is projected to be a late lottery pick to a mid-first round pick, but if Noah and Horford both jet, Brewer might join them.
