Carmelo Anthony once looked like he would never return to the NBA. Now, it looks like it did when he first entered the league.
Anticipating the return of Portland’s great men Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic for the NBA restart, Anthony spent much of the pandemic preparing to return to the small forward position and arrived in Orlando looking considerably slimmer and more toned. than in years.
The 36-year-old, who has played power since his time with the Knicks, said he adopted a “very intense and very healthy diet” and altered his training routines in recent months to improve his speed and conditioning.
“For me, I had that in the back of my mind, once the coach told me the position, I would go back to 3,” said the Blazers forward. “I challenged myself to drop to that weight where I feel comfortable playing 3, running comfortable and using things I can do within our system when playing 3.
“That was a great motivation for me to come back at that exact weight or around that weight, 230, 235. I haven’t seen 230, 235 since the beginning, the beginning of my career. So now it puts me back into a confidence mindset, knowing I could get back to that. On the court I feel good, I feel healthy. I am also very clear. That was all part of the plan.
“I can definitely tell the difference.”
Although Anthony said he lost only about five pounds, his teammate CJ McCollum also noticed the difference.
“I told him it looks like he lost weight, but he hasn’t lost that many pounds,” said McCollum. “It’s more than turning some of the fat into muscle and peeking out. But he always has the same weight. He just wears it differently. So when he’s wearing those little stockings and the muscle shirt, he looks slimmer, but he’s moving well. , he’s in good shape and ready to go. “
Another phase is about to begin in Anthony’s career.
“Every summer, it’s a different name for me,” said Anthony. “This summer is skinny Melo. There’s Hoodie Melo, USA Melo, there are so many different Melos out there. But at the end of the day, it’s me. “
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