No one can accuse Emeka Okafor of spending the offseason lounging around on the couch and eating mounds of ice cream. Especially if they caught even a fleeting glimpse of him in the Charlotte Bobcats' training camp.

Okafor, last year's NBA rookie of the year, sought out the tutelage of former league MVP Hakeem Olajuwon to improve his game and took up yoga to improve his flexibility.

Despite working with weights primarily to improve and tone target areas, the 6-foot-10 forward looks stronger and has bulked up nearly 20 pounds since the end of last season.

"It's a new age," Okafor said Thursday, the third day of the team's training camp at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. "The more we learn, the more we take care of our bodies. The better you take care of your body, the longer you'll play and the more efficient you'll be."

That kind of approach is a welcome sight for the Bobcats, who have made Okafor the face of a franchise trying to make it in a city jaded by a nasty split with its once-beloved Hornets three years ago. He lived up to expectations by leading all rookies with 15.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game in the team's 18-64 inaugural season, and he doesn't sound content to stand pat.

"I still don't feel like I really deserve that yet," Okafor said of seeing his face on billboards and team advertisements around Charlotte. "It's a good honor, but I feel I can't rest on that. I feel like I have to do more."