Jared Sullinger: Back Issues Solidify That He's Not Worth a Lottery Pick

Even before Jared Sullinger's back threatened to keep him out of this year's lottery, there were questions about whether he truly deserved to be there.

Now, those doubts have been solidified: He is officially too much of a risk for the lottery.

Sullinger was once a consensus lottery pick who could have gone as high as No. 7 to the Warriors and wasn't expected to drop lower than the Pistons' selection at No. 9. But last week, Chad Ford of ESPN reported Sullinger had been medically flagged by NBA doctors because of a bad back.

According to Ford, Sullinger participated in a series of tests at the NBA draft combine earlier this month, and after evaluating his results, doctors believe his back issues could shorten his career. As a result, teams aren't advised to select him in the first round.

And just like that, he's plummeted all the way from No. 7 to No. 22 in Ford's mock draft.

Sullinger's Ohio State head coach, his father and his agent, David Falk, have all downplayed the concerns. Falk told SI.com's Sam Amick:

"

Jared has consulted with one of the foremost specialists of backs and spines, who has vast experience treating professional athletes. He has explained to us that Jared had extremely tight hamstrings that became tight because he had suffered an injury that I don't think he was aware of to his hamstring. He needs to maintain vigilance with his flexibility. And if he does that, and keeps his weight at an appropriate level, then he should have absolutely no problems over the next 15 years.

"

The only problem, of course, is that that is a big if.

Let's pretend the back issues didn't exist and just consider Sullinger as a player. First and foremost, he's undersized—somewhat severely for an NBA 4. At 6'9" and 268 pounds, he's too small and certainly over the ideal weight.

He's strong and he's physical, but realistically, is he going to overpower NBA power forwards with his physicality? Realistically, he's not going to be as athletic or as fast as the guys he matches up with.

He could get by in the NCAA with flying colors, but he's not going to be able to dominate anyone at the next level given his size.

On top of the physical concerns, Ford has said that Sullinger has had conditioning issues in the past, and he hasn't blown anyone away in his agility tests leading up to the draft. Sullinger, of course, played it off, telling Ford:

"

I'm not a testing type of guy. I'm a basketball player. If I'm so robotic in testing or I couldn't do the testing because I wasn't robotic enough, I apologize to everybody that thinks I didn't do well. That's just me. I'm a basketball player. I know how to play with a basketball.

"

We all know Sullinger plays with a chip on his shoulder, and he loves it when people doubt him. Never was it more obvious than when he made the above statement.

But he is fooling himself if he thinks his struggles with the draft tests are irrelevant. 

At what point do his excuses become empty? At what point do you have to look at what is on the table—an undersized player who didn't perform up to par in his pre-draft tests and may be hampered by back problems—and say he is not worth it?

Nobody in the lottery is going to take a chance on him now. Without the back problems, he could've made a case for himself, but now, it's a lost cause.