[Mr KLC]

Marcus Smart may look different when he rejoins his teammates for training camp. The Boston Celtics guard said he’s down 20 pounds from the end of last season.

Referring to himself as a “new me,” Smart said he’s been a fixture in the gym preparing for his fourth NBA season.

Smart will be an integral rotation cog for the new-look Celtics, and the mercurial guard will have a chance to show he’s worth a considerable raise. The 23-year-old off-the-bench contributor looks to be gearing up for that.

The Celtics have Smart under contract for this season and can retain him for the 2018-19 campaign with a $6.05 million qualifying offer. If the Celts don’t extend the qualifying offer, Smart will become a 2019 unrestricted free agent. Considering what went down in Boston this offseason, looking that far ahead might be foolish.

If Smart indeed has a new playing weight, that stands to help him build a case for a big contract — either from the Celtics or another team — in the near future.

By Sam Robinson

[Mr KLC]

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard played the 2016-17 season just shy of 200 pounds. One his major focuses entering the offseason was to shed some weight and entering his sixth NBA season lighter and faster.

Lillard has slimmed down mixing his basketball workouts with swimming laps in the pool, putting the gloves on the boxing gym and switching up his diet. The former Wingstop enthusiast is apparently trying at a vegan diet as the season approaches.

With a new diet and an offseason in the gym, Lillard says he is down to 190 pounds, about five pounds lighter than he weighed at the end of July and eight pounds lighter than his listed weight a season ago. He should head into the season playing close to his rookie weight when he was 189 pounds at the 2012 NBA draft combine.

Lillard averaged career-highs in points (27.0), rebounds (4.9) and field goal percentage (.444) in 2016-17. But he has missed seven games in each of the last two seasons due to foot and ankle injuries after starting his career by playing in 275 consecutive games.

In theory, dropping about 10 pound off his frame should help Lillard reduce stress on his body without sacrificing much strength. If nothing else, experimenting with a vegan diet is extremely on brand for someone who has lived in Lake Oswego for a half decade.

By Mike Richman

[reppin_the_847]

Both are solid players. I wish them the best of luck.

[IBetYou]

Al Jefferson has lost 40 pounds. Must be a contract year.