Los Angeles Lakers

Roy Hibbert lost 15 lbs. to play faster, more minutes

Published Sep. 30, 2015 3:53 p.m. ET

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It seems as if the NBA is getting smaller and smaller each season.

As a 7-2 behemoth, Roy Hibbert's game and skill set conflict with the current trends, making him somewhat of a dying species among NBA players.

Size will always be a premium in the league, so it's not as if Hibbert is at all at risk of losing his job. But playing a plodding center who isn't dominant offensively can take its toll on a team, and Hibbert understands that. It's why the Pacers decided to trade Hibbert away, reloading with rookie Myles Turner -- an athletic 3-and-D big man -- and a new small-ball game plan.

The Lakers, meanwhile, are taking a different approach. While they understand they may need to incorporate small ball into their system a bit more, they want to buck the majority and capitalize on Hibbert's talents -- his ability to protect the rim and score in the post -- hoping it pays off.

That doesn't mean there won't be any adjustments made. Hibbert, for one, had to reshape his body. To prepare for the season, Hibbert shed 15 lbs. of fat so he could play more minutes and at a faster pace.

"With how the NBA is going, you have a lot of quick centers," Hibbert said at the Lakers’ media day in El Segundo on Monday. "It’s changed some things up. But I feel I’m in a place where I can hold my own in the post and get up and down the court."

Big men who can run the floor and post up are rare. Most bigs can do one or the other, but not both. Hibbert has always been slow, and that's never going to change, so it's not as if he's going to be DeAndre Jordan out there next season. But if he can play 5-7 minutes more than he could last season (25.3 minutes per game), it'll go a long way for the Lakers' defense and Hibbert's career.

One center that Hibbert believes he can relate to is the Golden State Warriors' Andrew Bogut. Bogut averaged a career-low 23.6 minutes per game last season, getting bench in the NBA Finals so the Dubs could start Andre Iguodala and deploy Draymond Green at center. Bogut never got the credit he deserved for making the Warriors defense No. 1 in the league, but Hibbert sees the similarities and what's to have that type of impact.

"He didn’t score a lot, and he’s not the fastest guy out there. No disrespect to him," Hibbert said. "I admire his game and how he sacrifices what he does to help his team win a championship. I don’t mind being the older guy that has to sacrifice and be the defensive anchor."

The Lakers need that defensive anchor. They ranked 29th in the NBA in defensive efficiency, which is just about as bad as it gets. Adding a rim-protector like Hibbert -- even if he's not what he was two years ago -- will almost certainly move them out of the league's bottom five defenses.

It's been challenging for Hibbert, without a doubt. He listened to the Lakers' training staff and changed up his eating habits, eating more frequently and incorporating more protein. He had to cut back on sweets, but after losing as much weight as he has, it seems to be worth it.

"Would I like to have a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting? Yeah, I would," Hibbert said. "But this is part of my game."

We'll see just how good that game is this season.

(h/t Inside So Cal)