Eager to improve his ability to absorb contact and finish at the rim, Roy muscled up to 216 pounds last summer. The increased strength, combined with his quick first step payed dividends as the 6′6″ shooting guard averaged 22.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.7 boards, and vastly improved his ability to get to the rim. Roy shot 58.2 percent from the immediate basket area, and took 40.4 percent of his attempts from that distance last season. Known for his steady play, Roy is stable with the ball and rarely takes chances or bad shots. His game consists of pull-up jumpers, one-handed floaters, changes of direction, and left or right handed finishes around the cup. Matched up against two of the top-five vote getters for DPOY in last year’s playoffs — Shane Battier and Ron Artest — Roy averaged 26.9 points per game on 45.9 percent shooting. Still, if there’s one area where Roy lags behind contemporaries Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, it’s in his ability to get to the basket and draw fouls. Feeling lighter on his feet thanks to an offseason dedicated to swimming and bike riding, reports Mike Barrett at Blazers.com, Roy’s attempts at the basket could increase again this season:
“After taking a little time off after the season ended, I just started swimming, like every single day. And, I really got into bike riding. After doing this for a while I stepped on the scale and I was at about 203 pounds. I played last season at about 216. I was like ‘whoa,’ and figured that was enough.”
Roy claims the weight loss, for the most part, was unintentional, but that he did have a desire to come into camp lighter than he had been in the past. He hired a chef and got dedicated to eating healthier. That, combined with the workouts, made it easy to hit this new shape.
“I got to 205 so quickly, and then decided that was about time to head back the other way a bit. But, even now, I’m only at about 206. That’s where I want to stay.
“Last season I came to camp at about 215, and that was intentional. I thought being a little bigger and bulkier would be better for me. But, I didn’t like the way it felt. I feel so great physically right now, and I’m in great shape. I feel a little quicker, and I’m definitely lighter on my feet. I can feel it at the end of the day.”
