Myles Turner Changed Diet, Started Yoga to Cut Body Fat from 14 to 7 Percent

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner said he's trimmed his body fat to nearly half the 14 percent it was when the offseason started by altering his diet and beginning a yoga program.  

On Tuesday, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com noted Turner knew he needed a change after struggling to make it through games last season without getting fatigued.

"I took a look at myself in the mirror last season, and I was pudgy," he said. "I was getting tired a lot faster, and a lot of that had to do with eating fast food, eating pizza the nights before games. Everybody told me about my diet, but last season it started to affect me. I guess getting older, my metabolism is not as high as it used to be. ... I was getting gassed."

He showcased his early-offseason progress in a June post on Twitter:

Turner saw a nearly across-the-board drop in his production during the 2017-18 campaign. He averaged 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting a career-worst 47.9 percent from the field during his third NBA season.

The 22-year-old Texas native, who can become a restricted free agent if he doesn't sign an extension with the Pacers by the end of next year, knows an important season lies ahead.

"It is a big year," Turner told Youngmisuk. "But I think it is just a big year for the Pacers in general. We are not going to catch anybody by surprise anymore. People know what we are capable of now. ... The way I look at it, I have to be that presence for us to take that next step and be that team out of the East. ... I am going to do everything in my power to work hard and give the Pacers what they drafted."

Myles Turner with the Tomahawk

Turner's success is vital for Indiana. The team features a lot of talent on the perimeter with Darren Collison, Victor Oladipo and Tyreke Evans. Getting Turner back on track in the post—he ranked 11th among centers in ESPN's Real Plus-Minus in 2016-17—would go a long way in rounding out the squad.

His body transformation suggests he's preparing to bounce back in a major way.