PHOTO: Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has lost plenty of weight

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic looks much like he did when first came into the league.

First noted by Denver Nuggets president Tim Connelly, playmaking center Nikola Jokic has slimmed down plenty during the quarantine. In fact, he’s slimmed down so much that he looks a lot like he did during his rookie season.

Nikola Jokic has improved his athleticism

Per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, Nuggets rising star Jamal Murray discussed Jokic’s new physique while on a Zoom call with Nuggets reporters. A seemingly bemused Murray would compare how Jokic looked now to how he looked in the 2017-18 season, which was a fair comparison:

"“Hey, Joker got a little four pack,” the guard said of Jokic’s abs. “I love it. … Remember, probably [my] second year [2017-18], how skinny Joker was. You could start to see him put on the weight. He put on a lot more and then he took it, just like, it’s just gone. He took it all the way out.“It is kind of weird to see him like this where he is a lot more athletic, he is moving a lot better.”"

Jokic has been prone to fluctuations in his weight over the last few years, commonly playing around 250 pounds but entering the 2019-20 season weighing 284 pounds. With the way he looks in the picture, it wouldn’t be surprising if he weighs under 250 pounds now.

While that would pose a potential problem 10-15 years ago, when the league was full of burly centers whose strength and low-post skill could possibly push around a much lighter Jokic inside, there aren’t a lot of centers today with either the size or low-post skill of traditional big men.

In the West, centers like Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder or Hassan Whiteside of the Portland Trail Blazers could pose an issue with their size and strength but neither are known for their scoring prowess.

In addition, although the Dallas Mavericks have a gargantuan center in Boban Marjanovic they could turn to, he’s a rotational player rather than a starter and the Nuggets could try to match him up with their own backup center (Mason Plumlee) as much as possible.

However, with athletic big men like Los Angeles Lakers forward-center Anthony Davis and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert in the West, a slimmer and more athletic Jokic has a better chance of keeping up with them on the defensive end. The center-less Houston Rockets could potentially be Denver’s first-round matchup and with him being quicker on his feet, they could pose less of a threat to the Nuggets now.

All things considered, Jokic’s loss of weight was a smart move and shows both open-mindedness and dedication. Previously, Jokic defended his weight gain, believing that it prevented him from being pushed around (per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk). With the league’s shift towards semi-positionless play and an emphasis on athletic big men, Jokic may have found enough of a reason to change his mind.

The Nuggets will have a better chance at making a deep run in the 2020 NBA Playoffs with a lighter and more athletic Nikola Jokic. It will be fun to watch.