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Boston Celtics Get the Jared Sullinger they Expected

By Joshua Bateman

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Going all the way back to the end of last season when it was revealed that Jared Sullinger failed a conditioning test, he has gone through arguably the most difficult stretch of his career. It involved an intervention but Sullinger finally addressed his poor conditioning and came into this year’s camp with the highest expectations of his career.

Sullinger knew that he had to step up because the Boston Celtics acquired both Amir Johnson and David Lee this offseason putting all the pressure on Sullinger to maintain his starting position.

The beginning of the preseason could not have gone worse for Sullinger. With back to back games shooting 1-8 and no signs of separating from Johnson or Lee it appeared as though Sullinger may be losing his spot in the rotation.

In the second to last preseason game against the New York Knicks, Sullinger finally made his claim for the starting rotation. The Celtics have had different players break out in every game this preseason and it was finally Sullinger’s turn to lead the way.

There were seven different players that were given more minutes than Sullinger against the Knicks but that did not stop him from being the most effective and productive player on both ends of the court. Sullinger was tied for a team high +15 with 16 points on a phenomenal 6-10 shooting.

Sullinger finally got it right on the offensive end but it was everything else he did that was most impressive. The rebounding is of vital importance with how the Celtics struggled last year and he led the way with eight rebounds including three on the offensive boards.

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Sullinger created second chance opportunities and he created opportunities for his teammates. His six assists were behind only Marcus Smart and becoming an effective passer can make all the difference for Sullinger considering how effective Lee has been as a ball handler.

It was then the three blocks that made this one of the best performances by any Celtics this preseason. Only three players on the team recorded a block and nobody else had more than one. The Celtics can expect Sullinger to have an impact on the offensive end but that will no longer be enough. The Celtics cannot afford to have a starting power forward be a liability rebounding and protecting the paint and Sullinger realizes that.

One game will not fix everything for Sullinger but it is refreshing to finally see the player the Celtics were expecting to get this season. He will have a lot of work to do to surpass Johnson and Lee who have been stellar throughout the majority of the preseason but he has proven that he is not going away easily.

The Celtics are still waiting for Sullinger to leave his mark beyond the arc as he did not even attempt a three pointer against the Knicks. Three point shooting may be the biggest edge Sullinger has over Johnson or Lee and he will need to pick up that part of his game up if he wants to gain an edge.

Brad Stevens may already be set on his starting rotation but the rest of the distribution of minutes is a complete mystery. Stevens has all kinds of pieces to work with and he will have no choice other than to give Sullinger an opportunity to reclaim his position on the team.

Cluttered does not even begin to describe the Celtics’ front court situation and while it is a great sign to see Sullinger playing well it will only add to the chaos that is the Celtics’ battle for the primary power forward on the team.

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