One of March Madness’ breakout stars is losing weight to keep his NBA Draft hopes alive.
“I’ve lost 45 pounds over the last six and a half weeks,” North Carolina State center DJ Barnes Jr. told The Athletic’s Shams Charania, per an NBA source.
“There were big questions about his size, his build and his weight.” […] I saw him yesterday at pro day and he looked totally different. […] He told me there was no Ozempic and that he trains at 5 a.m. four days a week,” Charania said on FanDuel TV on Wednesday.
Barnes’ weight loss comes after he averaged 12.9 points, four rebounds and 2.9 assists as a senior at N.C. State during the regular season.
Barnes, listed at 6-foot-9, 275 pounds, led the Wolfpack to one of the most improbable Final Four appearances in recent college basketball history, the school’s first since 1983. It was about.
The Wolfpack had very little chance of making the NCAA Tournament until winning the ACC Tournament and earning an automatic berth.
They ultimately made it to the Final Four as an 11 seed, with Barnes averaging 16.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in an incredible nine-game winning streak, with the big man’s dominant 29-point game against Duke. and won the Elite Eight.
NC State would fall short to Purdue and Zach Edey in the Final Four, losing 63-50.
Despite leading North Carolina State’s Cinderella run, Barnes, who turns 24 in October, was considered an NBA prospect by teams preparing for the draft earlier this spring due to his weight and age. It wasn’t widely considered.
Barnes did not receive an invitation to league workouts earlier this month, but worked out with the Lakers this week. According to 247Sports.com:.
