After a career year in 2013-14, Al Jefferson took a step back last season. His post-oriented skill set is becoming less prominent in the modern NBA, which makes him both a unique threat and an anachronism. But if the Hornets are going to contend for a playoff spot, they’ll need him to return to his form from two seasons ago. One of the steps Jefferson has taken to that end: cutting fried chicken out of his diet completely, which has led to him losing over 20 pounds this summer.
From Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer:
Fried chicken: Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson craves it and he knows it’s off his menu in the effort to lose as much as 25 pounds.
So when a certain commercial comes on the television, Big Al grabs for the remote.
“Every Popeye’s commercial I see, I have to turn the TV off,” Jefferson said Thursday.
Jefferson will again be a big factor in how the Hornets do in the upcoming season. He discussed his summer and the Hornets’ prospects with Observer NBA writer Rick Bonnell:
Q: You said at last season’s conclusion it was important you lose 20 or more pounds in the off-season. How has that gone?
Great. 20-plus. One thing about losing weight: It becomes a lot easier once you become disciplined about what you’re eating. Cutting out the sugar and the starch. Taking care of your body. Once I got into a routine it became pretty easy. And I knew what I was doing it for — to take some of the weight off my knees and getting my body into better shape than last year.