Martell Webster may have a post-basketball career as a weight-loss specialist.
The Washington Wizards forward is getting ahead of the curve, beating other players to the usual best-shape-of-my-life claims that fill training camp every year. Four months removed from the end of the 2014-15 campaign and still more than two months away from the 2015-16 season, Webster has already made great strides in reshaping his body.
"I feel amazing," Webster told Ben Mehic of Wiz of Awes. "I transformed my body, I dropped 20 pounds and I'm probably going to drop 10 more ... I feel amazing, a lot of pressure has been taken off my back and off of my joints and I feel great."
Webster missed the first half of last season recovering from back surgery to repair a herniated disc, and when he returned he tipped the scales at 235 pounds. For a 6-foot-7 player who spends most of his time on the wing, that was apparently well beyond the ideal playing weight for Webster, who said he hopes to enter the season at roughly 206 pounds.
The back issue also led Webster to question how long he'll remain an active player. The 28-year-old said in October that he'd probably retire at 30, when his contract is up following the 2016-17 season. It's unclear if his new-found regimen and how good he feels will change that thinking, or if a bounce-back season could help to that end.
Webster had the worst season of his career last year, averaging 3.3 points in 11 minutes while shooting 26.4 percent from the floor. In the seven seasons prior to that, the former No. 6 overall pick averaged 9.8 points and 3.4 rebounds while knocking down 39.2 percent of his outside looks.
While he lost his rotation spot with the Wizards thanks to his injury and ineffectiveness, he should have the opportunity to carve out some playing time as several new wings jockey for reserve minutes in training camp.
