Jared Sullinger's Emergence Key to Making Boston Celtics Rebuild Work
It hasn't taken Jared Sulinger long to create serious expectations for his 2014-15 campaign.
The 22-year-old Ohio State product scored 23 points in 23 minutes in the Boston Celtics' second preseason outing, a 106-86 victory over the New York Knicks. With a 9-of-12 night from the field, Sullinger showed flashes of the kind of play that could—to at least some degree—salvage a season otherwise destined for the bottom of the standings.
Coming off a respectable sophomore year in which he averaged 13.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in 27.6 minutes per game, Sullinger vindicated general manager Danny Ainge's decision to take a chance with the 21st pick in the 2012 draft.
Despite a strong collegiate career, Sullinger's draft stock plummeted due to concerns about potentially chronic problems with his back. So far, Ainge's gamble has paid off.
And its biggest dividends may be yet to come.
This was supposed to be a productive summer from the outset for Sullinger.
As The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn noted in July, "This is Jared Sullinger's first summer as an NBA player in which he is not dealing with back issues, and he plans to capitalize on being healthy by making himself a more productive player."
"It's very exciting because I get to develop and find out who I can be," Sullinger told reporters back in April. "We'll see. Hopefully, I'll have some hobbies—working out and conditioning—I can carry over for the next four months."
The plan was to—among other things—craft an entirely new physique.
In June, Sulinger told media, "My main weight is 260 by training camp. I'm in the 280s range right now."
"I think conditioning was a big factor," he explained in July. "Late in the game, I'd get tired and stop doing the things that I normally do in the first quarter. I think conditioning will kind of help that out."
"I think I've got quick feet for my size," he added. "Losing weight and getting in better shape is only going to enhance that."
The focus on improved physical tools is an important start. Should Sullinger consistently handle 30-35 minutes per contest, the Celtics' otherwise thin frontline will be all the better for it. And that's to say nothing for what a quicker, more mobile presence would mean in the painted area.
But Sullinger's evolution will be as much about mind as it is about body.
Lumped into various trade rumors at the height of the Kevin Love sweepstakes, it hasn't taken long for Sullinger to experience the league's business—and media—realities. Though speculation is sure to endure so long as Boston's rebuilding roster remains in flux, the organization seems pretty content to build around Sullinger rather than use him as an asset on the trade market.
Perhaps that commitment will translate into some added confidence.
Sullinger's comfort level should also benefit from having old friend Evan Turner around. It's the first time the former Buckeyes will actually play for the same team, but they've had a relationship for years.
Things are shaping up nicely for Sullinger on a variety of fronts, including the odds he returns to his more natural power forward position on a full-time basis.
Sullinger's dad suggested in May that the organization had promised to acquire another center so that his son could more regularly match up with smaller opponents. That would be consistent with Boston's hope to turn Sullinger into something of a stretch 4 who can space the offense in the mold of Kevin Love.
The Celtics didn't make any major splashes on the big-man front this summer, but they did acquire Tyler Zeller from the Cleveland Cavaliers via trade. The 24-year-old North Carolina product should fit nicely into the team's youth movement—and perhaps free Sullinger to spend more of his minutes at the 4 spot.
None of these developments guarantees Sullinger will be named this season's Most Improved Player.
But they could be a perfect confluence of little things that—collectively—yield noticeable progress.
It's the kind of growth that's par for the course on a team still attempting to find its footing after parting ways with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in 2013. After a 25-win season beset by injury and inexperience, a surprise turnaround could be in the offing.
"Last year was a nightmare," Sullinger told reporters at the team's media day in September.
Such is life amid the Celtics' rocky transformation.
Sullinger himself was never quite 100 percent, suffering from a dislocated index finger that impacted his shooting stroke.
"That kind of hurt my jump shot tremendously due to my follow through," he explained at media day. "I was following through on my middle finger instead of my index finger like I usually do. Now with that being healthy, I think I'll be okay."
More than any weight loss or psychological gain, a healthy hand could be significant.
Sullinger made just 26.9 percent of his 2.8 three-point attempts per game last season, a mark that helped sink his overall success rate to 42.7 percent from the field—subpar for a big man. He may never be a model of efficiency given his use from mid-range and beyond the three-point line, but any headway would be welcome for a club that ranked 28th in true shooting percentage, per Hollinger Stats.
Ideally, the entire rotation—Sullinger included—will find better looks at the basket on account of a healthy Rajon Rondo. The pass-first point guard only played 30 games last season after recovering from a torn ACL that struck in 2013.
Though Rondo never quite found his shooting rhythm (resulting in a career-low mark of 40.3 percent), he averaged 9.8 assists per game and immediately offered hope that some steady offensive leadership could have a force-multiplying effect on such a young roster.
Put simply, Rondo is the kind of guy who makes those around him significantly better.
In Sullinger's two seasons, however, Rondo has only made a combined 68 appearances. This season could mark the first real possibility of chemistry between the two, the emergence of which could take Sullinger's productivity to new heights.
A welcome sign for a franchise working to avoid new lows.
Along with an under-25 crowd including Zeller, Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, Marcus Smart and James Young, Sullinger represents the Celtics' next best hope. Even as Ainge attempts to find a star who could turn the team around in short order, this rebuild will depend heavily on in-house development.
Without a consistent interior presence, that development won't count for much. And with power forward Brandon Bass playing out what may be his last season with the club, Boston will soon depend on Sullinger even more.
Another title may remain years away, but Sullinger's ascendance could certainly hasten a return to the playoffs.
A transition from rebuilding to relevance.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
