Clippers: 3 Ways Joakim Noah is sneaky signing for playoffs
By Ryan Heckman
2. Noah elevates everyone’s energy
From early on in his career, Noah was a fire starter. Most basketball fans would tell you that Joakim Noah is a guy you either love, or you completely despise. If he plays for your favorite squad, you probably love him. If he doesn’t, you likely belong in the latter category who can’t stand the guy.
One of the biggest reasons why Noah has been so successful throughout his career is due to the fact that he plays the game one way and one way only. That can be summed up by calling him physical, reckless and unwilling to back down from anyone. He simply doesn’t take plays off. Noah is operating at 100 percent all of the time. He’s the type of guy you’d have to kill in order to stop him from playing with his heart on his sleeve.
Even in his thirties, Noah continues to play with that physical, fiery style.
Joakim Noah draws a charge on LeBron with 20 seconds to go in a 4-point game.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 26, 2019
The Grizzlies went on to win the game. pic.twitter.com/qUNevpJQB6
Did I mention he’s had his fair share of run-ins with LeBron?
Noah’s energy is contagious. Just one single play can change the outcome of a game, based on how he elevates the level of play from the rest of his teammates.
If you look back at the teams where Noah played with Taj Gibson, he took an already-physical kid in Gibson and helped elevate him even further. As one of his long-time teammates, Noah really helped bring out the best in Gibson, who was the Bulls’ first source of momentum off the bench back in the day.
On a team like the Clippers, he fits well with Montrezl Harrell and Marcus Morris — two guys who are notoriously physical. The three of them should mesh well, with all having similar demeanors at times.