2. Joel is always in the gym working to get better
What is he really working on? Anyone with eyes can see that his conditioning seems to get worse every year and, based on the pace of the modern game, he seriously needs to lose at least 20 pounds and work specifically on running and fitness drills. He was visibly thinner when he entered the league as a rookie but was still just as strong. He appears to have added muscle but lost speed and stamina.
One of the reasons he was supposed to dominate the modern game was that he was too big and strong to handle down low, but still just as agile and fast as smaller players. Anyone who watched him in the bubble would have a hard time describing him as “nimble”. The more accurate word would be “lumbering”, and for all his wonderous athleticism, he is starting to move more sluggishly and “pick and choose” his times to sprint.
He should look a lot more like David Robinson and a lot less like Andre Drummond.