Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports

NC State Wolfpack Star Makes Big Body Transformation Ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft, Per Insider

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated 5/23/24

With the 2024 NBA Draft only a few weeks away, NC State Wolfpack center DJ Burns is looking to boost his stock as high as possible by putting in some serious work in his body.

According to Shams Charania from The Athletic, the 23-year-old big man looks “totally different” because of his leaner frame.

“There was a big deal made about his size, his frame, his weight. He was listed at 275 pounds when he finished the season in college. I saw him at the pro day yesterday. He looked totally different,” Charania said about Burns on FanDuel TV.

“DJ Burns told me he has lost 45 pounds in the last six and a half weeks. He said he’s doing cardio workouts at 5 a.m. He told me no Ozempic, he said he’s been doing workouts four days a week at 5 a.m. Cardio workouts specifically that early in the morning, and he and his rep actually made a point to say no Ozempic was used during these 45 pounds lost. Shout out to DJ Burns Jr., he’s trying to make a name for himself in this,” he added.

By cutting off some excess pounds, DJ Burns is making himself NBA-ready, especially since many believed that his style of play might not be amenable to the NBA due to his large frame which worked to his advantage in college.

DJ Burns was a beast for the NC State Wolfpack

DJ Burns is coming off a successful season with the NC State Wolfpack, as he helped lead them to the ACC Tournament Championship, where he won MVP, and the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to the Purdue Boilermakers.

The 23-year-old finished the 2023-24 campaign with averages of 12.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 53.1 percent shooting from the field for the NC State Wolfpack. Despite his modest numbers, DJ Burns dazzled basketball fans with his elite post-up play a la Zach Randolph.

Unfortunately for the NC State Wolfpack star, most NBA mock drafts have Burns going undrafted in June, so NFL scouts and players have speculated whether he should switch careers to professional football.