Jared Sullinger: Breaking Down the Ohio State Buckeye's Skill Set

Returning for his sophomore season, Jared Sullinger has become a critical player for the Ohio State basketball squad.

This Player-of-the-Year candidate is a difference-maker at the forward position and is a huge reason the Buckeyes currently sit at No. 3 in the national rankings, have a 21-3 record (9-2 conference) and a first place spot in the Big Ten.

The following slides will break down the skill set of this Buckeye.

Passing

Key Statistic: One assist per game

Analysis: Being a strong post player, Jared Sullinger is not wholly responsible for passing the ball out to teammates.

Whenever he has the ball in his hands, his mind is on scoring, and that is usually how the play has been drawn up.

That being said, he is not incapable of a quick pass to the perimeter. He is frequently in double coverage, and when he cannot battle his way to the basket, he has the vision and ability to complete a pass to the outside.

Standing at only 6’9’’, sometimes Sullinger finds it difficult to pass over taller defenders but can use his strength and frame to push the ball up and out.

Rebounding

Key Statistic: Nine rebounds per game

Analysis: Jared Sullinger is a rebounding machine even though his statistics are down a little from last season. In 2011 he averaged 10.2 rebounds per game and brings home only nine rebounds per game in 2012. However, this can be attributed to the fact that he plays three minutes less than last season.

He is not necessarily elite when it comes to his length, but he uses his strength to battle his way to the boards and brings down the grab. He is not afraid to box out his defenders and stand his ground when it comes to waiting for the ball.

Defensive rebounds aside, he also has skill when it comes to making up for his missed shots. He does his best to get back up to the board and recovers the ball before his opponent can make the grab.

The lack of strength in his hands often causes some loose ball security off quick and high traffic plays as well as missed rebounds, which he has seen criticism for.

Defense

Key Statistics: 1.5 steals per game, 0.8 blocks per game

Analysis: Personal statistics aside, it should be noted that Ohio State is statistically the best defensive team in college basketball.

Jared Sullinger basically provides the roots of this strong defense.

Once again, he uses his strength to pressure players, causing them to back down and cancelling out quick scores. He can match up his basketball IQ on the defensive side of the ball. It is not uncommon to see him trick his opponent into taking a rushed shot.

As for his downside, he is still a couple of inches shorter than some of the great defensive players and is not the fastest power forward when it comes to agility and pure speed. Going up against speedier players, Sullinger can sometimes lose his man on the outside. On top of that, his length does not adapt well to shot blocking.

Ball Handling

Key Statistic: 1.6 turnovers per game

Analysis: One part of Jared Sullinger’s game that does not see a lot of criticism is his ball-handling ability, and for good reason too.

He may struggle sometimes with catching quick rebounds in traffic, but his soft hands allow him to catch almost everything passed his direction.

Once he has the ball in his hands, he rarely turns it over. Even if he is playing a half-court offense and has to run the ball around every player on the opposing team, more often than not he will come back up with the ball.

He combines his fantastic footwork with his ball-handling to throw off defenders and put up points.

He is a dangerous player in the paint when under single coverage as he can make defenders miss with his dribbling skills.

Scoring

Key Statistics: 17.4 points per game, 45 percent three-point success

Analysis: Jared Sullinger plays a majority of his offensive game with his back to the basket. As a result, he has since become one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league. His strength and force allow him to push hard into the paint and into position before he whips out his fancy footwork and sinks the shot.

He has improved his postgame since last season but still does not finish on the rim all too often. Some critics would like to see his post-play extend to playing on the basket, but Sullinger takes the shots he knows he can make.

He can sometimes take risky shots but often rebounds his mistakes rather than letting the possession go to waste.

In the end, Sullinger records a very good 57.6 percent field-goal percentage.

In the offseason, Sullinger picked up another aspect of his offensive game: three-point shooting.

As a forward, he is not relied on heavily from the arc, but he now attempts at least one per game and is making 45 percent of those shots.

Intangibles

Key Fact: He decided to return to Ohio State to win a national championship.

Analysis: No one can doubt Jared Sullinger’s competitive edge. He simply wants to win and will do whatever he can to make sure he earns a victory for the Buckeyes.

That aspect shines in the work ethic of this man.

He works hard to ensure that his skill set is fine-tuned and maximized so that he can play to this true potential. The fact that he decided to stay another year to refine his game and win a championship for Ohio State speaks to that fact.

His basketball IQ has been highly touted on both ends of the court, sometimes making up for his lack of size.

His health has been called into question, however. He has been hurt by an aggravated disc and plantar fasciitis, causing serious back spasms and sidelining him for two games in December.

This is an unfortunate situation for a player with so much talent. Although, with his attitude, Sullinger will do his very best to not have it affect his game.