Noah Vonleh

[wolvesfaned [enjin:6602294]]

I did some research about Vonleh on different Knicks forums. Overall, I saw favorable comments and they wanted to keep him if the price was not steep.

[Leado01]

https://youtu.be/WPJNeHgsTtw

[Lipoli390]

Yes, taj is the more efficient offensive player.

But, Vonlehs strengths are things we really need.

He isnt a stretch 4, but he does get up a few every game.
He can rebound, especially on the defensive end.
He can get out and guard in space on switches.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.fcgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1_hint=Taj+Gibson&player_id1_select=Taj+Gibson&player_id1=gibsota01&y1=2019&player_id2_hint=Noah+Vonleh&player_id2_select=Noah+Vonleh&y2=2019&player_id2=vonleno01&idx=players

I agree, Crazy. The Wolves were the 3rd worst defensive rebounding team last season. The stats you posted show Vonleh to be a significantly better defensive rebounder than Taj. Meanwhile Taj is going to make $10 million per year for two seasons compared to Vonleh's $2 million for one year. Players like Taj Gibson at $10 million per year generally don't make sense for 37-win lottery teams; young players with upside like Vonleh do. Taj might make some sense for the Knicks, providing them with a veteran presence on a team whose core will be a rookie (Barrett), a second year player (Knox) and a 3rd year player (Dennis Smith Jr.).

[crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]]

He is going to bust his ass out there if we give him the minutes.


Dane Moore
@DaneMooreNBA
Replying to
@_JimmyMcCormick
Was offered a multi-year deal by the Wolves (with a team option) for more than $2M annually, but turned it down to get back on the market in a year.

[KiwiMatt]

Love this signing. I was a fan of Noah Vonleh coming out of college. He was raw and I always expected him to take a few years to find a role in the NBA. It easy to forget he is only 23 years old, yet had been in the league for 5 years. He really grown in to his body - 6' 9", 250lbs

Good rebounder, versatile defender and has a decent enough outside shot to keep opposition defenses aware. Sounds like a good fit next to KAT.

[Lipoli390]

It's interesting to take a look back at draft analysis and metrics for a player who is still young but has been in the League a underperforming relative to his potential. I just looked back at this info for Vonleh and the information reminded me of why I was so high on him and why I specifically mentioned him to Flip. This information also explains why he was the 9th pick in the 2014 draft.

He played only one season in college - at Indiana - and he was only 18 years old when he was drafted. Weighing nearly 250 points, he had a 9'0 overhead reach and 7'4.25 wingspan - both excellent for an NBA PF. I said "had" not "has" because at age 18 he still had the chance to grow. He may very well be taller/longer now at age 23 than he was then. He also had massive hands at 9.75x11.75. You'll rarely see hand widths as big as 11.75. He also tested out as a very good athlete with a 37" max vertical, 3.28 sprint time and 3.29 shuttle time -- all excellent for a big man. On the court, the only stat that stood out was his 9 rebounds per game in 26.5 minutes. That's elite.

Add to those metrics, the following review of Vonleh from nbadraft.net, with some bolded text to highlight some key observations:

Strengths: Ideal PF size with very long arms and the skill set that had many envisioning him as a wing while in high school ... Has shown flashes of potential to stretch the defense, as well as a rapidly developing post game, helped by his solid frame ... Will not be 19 until August, which again brings to mind the potential growth his body and game could go through, along with the fantastic size and coordination he already possesses ... Was a great rebounder during his freshman season, very aggressive on both ends of the floor hitting the glass ... Gets out on the break and runs very well for his size. Shows very good mobility for a player with his size and strength, moves his feet especially well considering his thick, tree trunk legs ... His combination of length, size and mobility made him a factor on that side of the floor, along with having major upside on that end with increased experience, awareness ... Showed a good shot selection, shot a high percentage from the field and line, even showing ability out to three point range that could be developed down the line ... Surprising ability to put the ball on the floor with decent mobility, along with range that should have defenders respecting his shot ... Gets to the line fairly often and shot 71.3% FT as a freshman ... Definitely passionate about basketball, has shown a will to improve and put in work ... Cerebral kid. Is described as a gym rat, constantly looking to add to his game and made definite strides from senior year of HS to his freshman year of college ... Though he is not an elite leaper, his length makes him a shot blocking and shot changing force ...

A couple thoughts as I reflect on this. First of all, I don't see any red flags associated with him coming out of college. To the contrary, he apparently was known for being passionate about the game and being a gym rat. Second, he was very young coming out of college and is still young at age 23 without a long of NBA minutes under his belt. There's the old adage that bigs take longer to develop. The upside is definitely there and there is good reason to believe he can and will reach that potential.

So yes, I'm very happy we signed this guy.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Should be an interesting competition for minutes between Dieng, Vonleh, and Bell.

- Dieng actually played a great stretch of ball to end last season after being in a funk for a good portion of the year. Which Dieng do we get this year? Can he finally hit the 3 consistently?
- Vonleh turned the corner and became a solid rotation big last season. Given his age, further upside remains. He MIGHT be just the kind of rugged defender and rebounder (not to mention emergent 3-point shooter) that is the perfect compliment to KAT. Too early to know.
- Bell seemingly has all the tools to be a real swiss army knife kind of big that can guard multiple positions and pile up the do shit stats. The question is whether he matures his offensive game enough to keep teams honest and does he improve his defensive IQ?

We may end up with just a pile of mediocrity here, but I like the fact there might be bargain-level upside to be had with at least a couple of guys.

[AbeVigodaLive]

He's just a guy.

Dieng is just a guy. Bell is just a guy. Vonleh is just a guy. Napier is just a guy. Graham... et al. They're infinitely expendable.

That's not to say they don't offer varying degrees of value or that they won't play and be serviceable and halfway decent. Only that, they don't move the needle. At all. There's a reason Vonleh hasn't stuck anywhere. There's a reason GSW gave up on Bell.

So while I won't rip the signing, after all, it's fine. I'm not going to get too deep into just good Vonleh is because it's irrelevant. Vonleh is the type of guy who can take a team from 36 wins to 37 wins... or 36 wins to 35 wins if he really sucks.

That's about it.



[Note: These moves have to be made. They're not bad. They're just "meh" in the grand scheme of things. I think we all realize that. The key is to keep adding serviceable players and moving deck furniture around until something sticks.]

[Lipoli390]

Q - Good point about Gorgui's play during the final stretch of last season. The chorus of criticism directed at Gorgui has become a bit excessive to the point where he's perceived as completely worthless. In truth, he does some things well and I think he can be a decent rotation player. The bigger issue with Gorgui is his contract, which grossly exceeds his value on the court.

The ideal outcome would be Vonleh continuing his positive progression from last season and starting next to KAT.

Regarding Bell, I don't believe he has motor issues. In fact, I think he's regarded as having a terrific motor. His issues are apparently IQ and maturity. Unlike motor issues, IQ and maturity issues can be overcome. Probably the lowest IQ player I've ever seen in the NBA is Gerald Green. It took him a long time, but he eventually became a decent rotation player. So you can still learn in spite of a low basketball IQ; it just takes longer and ultimately prevents you from taking full advantage of your physical gifts. And immaturity is something you can grow out of. I'm not sure how bad Bell is on the basketball IQ or maturity scale. We'll soon find out.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

The one negative I could find on him is he really struggled learning plays in Charlotte so he doesn't sound like a bright bulb. You can have all the physical tools and talent in the world and it doesn't matter if you can't even learn plays/systems to use it. If he still has Basketball IQ issues then I don't see him amounting to much anywhere, but one can hope he's improved enough in that area to stick with us.