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With the glitz and glamour that comes with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic's game, former NBA all-star Joakim Noah sees that as well. However, he believes that there's an element to Jokic's game that is severely underlooked. On the Young Man & The Three Podcast, Noah shared what makes the Denver big man as dominant as he is.
“The altitude there is so real, you can think that you’re in great shape, you go to Denver it’s a whole other thing,” Noah said. “So he is training in that every day. By the time he gets to sea level, he has a third lung.
“I hated playing in Denver, thank God I had to only go there once a year. Playing in Denver, I could barely sleep, that’s how annoying the altitude was for me.”
Denver is nicknamed “The Mile High City” for its 5,280 feet elevation. While the Utah Jazz play at 4,265 feet in elevation, that extra 1,000+ feet makes a difference. Not to mention, if Jokic travels to somewhere like Los Angeles, his endurance is way better. Playing at 5,280 feet all season long conditions the body to thrive off of less oxygen. It forces your muscles to work more and enter cellular respiration.
Joakim Noah understands the correlation between altitude and Nikola Jokic's success with the Nuggets
Again, the elevation makes a huge difference. Also, Jokic is third in the NBA in minutes per game (37.6) and has only missed three games on the year thus far. With an increase in minutes and productivity, the Nuggets big man knows when to turn it up, especially in the fourth quarter. Noah explained how the correlation of playing in the altitude gives him leverage over his opponents.
“The altitude is real and Joker knows it,” Noah said. “That’s why it’s the fourth quarter, he runs the floor hard because he knows that’s called the game within the game, that’s winning basketball. Running the floor doesn’t show up on a stat sheet but when I saw another big man exhausted, I knew I had another gear. You have to win that fourth quarter and I think Joker does a good job of that.”
Jokic has played at an MVP level and could win his third trophy within four years. He leads the league in rebounding and is second in assists as a center. Not to mention, Denver has improved drastically since the preseason and has found their rhythm. As long as Jokic remains in Denver, the altitude will play in his favor every single time.
