National Basketball Association

New York Knicks: Joakim Noah is Admittedly Not Up to Speed

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The New York Knicks will be starting their season on Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, center Joakim Noah isn’t quite up to speed.

There was a lot of change for the New York Knicks this offseason, and one of the biggest moves was the signing of Joakim Noah. After trading Robin Lopez as part of a package to acquire Derrick Rose, the Knicks were left without a center. Lopez played very well with the Knicks last season, and now they will be relying on Noah to be the man in the middle.

Injuries are going to be a concern for the Knicks this season, and Noah is one of the players that the team will worry about. After dealing with a nagging hamstring injury in the preseason, Noah is admittedly not playing up to speed.

“Numbers don’t lie, and right now I feel a step slow defensively,” Noah said to Howie Kussoy of the New York Post. “I have to do better. I have to do better for this ballclub. We all do. “I feel like I haven’t played in a long time. I just have to get my steps, get my first step back, and it will come. It will come.”

Noah is going to be a very important of the Knicks as their anchor in the middle. Head coach Jeff Hornacek is aware that the hamstring injury has held Noah back a little bit this preseason.

“Jo kind of just got back to practicing here again about a week ago, so he’s continuing to get in better shape,” Hornacek said to Kussoy. “He’s in pretty good shape as it is. His enthusiasm, his energy level, kind of inspires all of our guys when he’s out there.

Noah has the reputation of being one of the most active players in the league. In his career, Noah has averaged 9.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game. It was just a few seasons ago that Noah was considered one of the best defenders in the league. The Knicks are hoping that he can regain that form.

“He’s usually all over the place. He was kind of like that in the first bit of training camp. Since he got hurt a little bit, he maybe took a little step back, but he’s getting it back. We want him to be the guy patrolling back there and not giving up — if somebody gets beat, he’s there protecting. I’m sure he’ll get there.”

The Knicks are going to be tested right out of the gate in the regular season by the Cavaliers. It is impossible to expect the Knicks to gel right away, but there is a lot to look forward to right away.