Like many rookies, it didn’t take long after making his professional debut for Lauri Markkanen to realize he would need to put on some weight to help withstand the physical demands of the NBA. Last summer, the 21-year-old Bulls forward split his first offseason between the weight room and the dinner table, eventually packing on 20 additional pounds to his seven-foot frame—oftentimes by reminding himself to eat a little bit more, even when he wasn’t hungry. As his sophomore season comes to a close, he admits that he’s still figuring out how to maintain the additional weight.

His efforts have paid off on the court, though, where his nightly averages of almost 19 points and 9 rebounds have made him one of the few bright spots in (another) rebuilding year in Chicago. We recently sat down with Markkanen to discuss the adjustment from his traditional traditional Finnish diet to American cuisine; how he managed a summer of gorging himself; and why he’s so reluctant to follow his peers’ lead and hire a personal chef.

GQ: You’re very regimented when it comes to what you put in your body. Did growing up with parents who were athletes [Ed. note: Both mom and dad played for the Finnish national team] help you develop those habits early?

Lauri Markkanen: In Finland, they eat really healthy foods, so that’s how I grew up. My senior year of high school, I began living by myself, which was a learning experience for me. I didn’t have great habits at that time. There were long days, and not enough time to eat like I was used to. It was easy to just buy something quick. I didn’t go to McDonald’s or anything like that, and I still ate pretty healthy, but I just not as good.

How conscious are you about how foods you eat affect you on the floor?

My wife and I talk about it all the time. Now, being in the NBA, I have enough time to plan my food. I’ve really tried to focus on that since becoming a professional. I feel like it’s a 24-7 thing. You can do all kinds of recovery, but I think sleep and nutrition are the best things you can do.

What was the transition from Finland to the University of Arizona like??

That was a new experience for me as well. Either I didn’t have healthy food available, or I was running from class to class to practice and I didn’t have the time to eat it. That’s when I realized how important my diet is. I saw that my skin wasn’t as clean—little things like that started to change.

We had good meals in the locker room and in hotels on the road. The pre-game meal was almost like a dinner because you’re eating it at around 5:00 p.m. Lunch and postgame meals were usually bad for me, though. They were terrible.

How terrible?

We would get out of the locker room at about 11:00 p.m., so there were not many spots open at that time. We would go to a restaurant and I would have, like, pasta and some pizza. I knew it was bad, but you know how if you eat a lot of sugar, your body feels like it needs a lot of sugar, and it doesn’t really feel like you’re eating that much because you’re used to it? Same thing. When you get used to it, you want to do it all the time. Since leaving college, I’ve gotten out of that.

Obviously, there are better foods available when you get to the professional level, but now you also have to eat more to get stronger. How did you go about gaining 20 pounds last summer?