What Noah Waterman Brings to Louisville

Here's what the transfer from BYU brings to the table for the Cardinals.

Jan 23, 2024; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars forward Noah Waterman (0) warms up / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Over the last few days, head coach Pat Kelsey and the Louisville men's basketball program has made a concerted effort to bolster their front court. On Saturday, they landed another impact piece for this area of the floor.

Noah Waterman, who spent the last two seasons of his career at BYU, is heading to the Derby City to conclude his collegiate career as a Cardinal. He is the 11th transfer commitment for Kelsey since his hiring on Mar. 28, and the 12th commitment overall.

The 6-foot-11, 210-pound big man was one of the more underrated components to BYU's success. Starting all but one of the Cougars' 34 games this past season, Waterman averaged 9.5 points per game, and was their second-leading rebounder at 5.4 boards. He also shot 45.7 percent from the field, and his 37.0 three-point percentage was good for second on the team.

The Savannah, N.Y. native played his true freshman season at Niagara, then spent two seasons at Detroit Mercy before playing the last two seasons at BYU. In 110 games and 81 starts across all three prior stops, Waterman has collected 861 points and 448 rebounds, and has a career shooting split of 44.9/38.9/67.9.

But beyond his stat lines, what else does Waterman bring to the table for the Cardinals?

A staple of your traditional stretch four is being a legitmate option from long range. Well, Waterman is that and then some, as he is a threat from all areas of the arc.

He shot 44 percent from the left corner, 36 percent on the left break, 41 percent on the right break, and 30 percent from the right corner. Unlike some of Louisville's prior transfer commitments where there's an area that they struggle to connect on three-point shots, Waterman can drain them anywhere. His best work comes on catch-and-shoot or spot up threes, but can also hit them off the dribble or against tight defense.

Of course, Waterman is a more than capable option inside the arc as well. He is a great finisher, connecting on 66 percent oh his shots at this rim. He does very well on pick-and-pop and give-and-go sets, but is also an underrated scorer off the cut thanks to a quick release for a big man. Regardless of the play, he does a good job at getting the ball out of his hands quickly after a pass or on a shot attempt.

Something of note is that his game inside the paint seems to revolve around being a savvy player and crafty finisher vs. taking and playing through contact, as he doesn't draw a ton of contact overall. That being said, it doesn't seem to bother him whenever contact is involved.

Waterman is a fantastic asset in transition. He does a great job of immediately switching from defense to offense to get past defenders for easy looks, and is comfortable handling the ball himself from time to time. Also, his catch-and-shoot rhythm threes in transition come very natural to him, and seem nearly automatic.

As far as other aspects of Waterman's offensive game, while he's not a facilitator at all, he does a very careful job with the ball in his hands. With a turnover rate of just 10.3 percent, only three high-major players at 6-11 or taller had a lower turnover rate.

With his natural height and length, Waterman is a great rebounder, especially on the defensive end where he has a defensive rebounding rate of 18.7. He can snag boards over the heads of most players, and he positions himself in the right spot more often than not.

While his offense is certainly ahead of his defense, Waterman is still a capable defender, and is not a liability on that end of the court. He won't make a lot of swipes at the ball (just 0.6 blocks and 0.4 steals per game), but his length and overall presence does help him alter shot attempts down low.

Overall, this is great pickup for Louisville. He is yet another piece that is a perfect system fit for Pat Kelsey's three-heavy, fast paced five-out offense, and he further bolsters the front court as a whole.

(Photo of Noah Waterman: Rob Gray - USA TODAY Sports)

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