Jared Sullinger Played Great in February

The Boston Celtics have had a revolving door rotation in their frontcourt this season, but Jared Sullinger may have separated himself from the crowd this past month

The Boston Celtics finished the month of February with a ridiculous 9-3 record. They have hit full stride and it’s clear that their not a fluke and are one of the better teams in the NBA. Isaiah Thomas has been the main reason for their success, as well as great seasons from guys like Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, and Evan Turner.

However, one thing that has not been consistent with this team is their frontcourt. Amir Johnson and Jared Sullinger have solidified themselves as the team’s starters over the past couple of months. Although, Kelly Olynyk has made eight starts for the team, while Jonas Jerebko, Tyler Zeller, and even David Lee have had some sort of role this season for Boston.

Boston has had a revolving door in their frontcourt this season. One that has a lot of quality bench players, but are forced to use two in their starting lineup. The problem Boston may face in the playoffs is, their frontcourt is made up of numerous players that are around the same talent level. Over the past month though, Jared Sullinger has broken away from the group and has shown why he is arguably the most talented of the group and should be brought back next season.

Jared Sullinger is set to be a free-agent this upcoming off-season, and depending on the money he commands, he should be back in Boston. He is a big body down low, something Boston lacks, and has a nice offensive game. His ability to score from 16 feet out, as well as taking it inside, has been an asset for Boston, especially with Kelly Olynyk sidelined with an injury.

With that being said, Sullinger’s season has been nothing spectacular. His points per game are down from a year ago, at 10.2 points this season, but he leads the team in rebounding at 8.6 rebounds per contest. In the month of February, Sullinger has upped his production on both sides of the ball, which has helped give Boston a spark during their recent success.

Boston has been looking for one of their big men to take a step above the rest and give them some sort of stability, and Sullinger has proven to be that guy. In 24.8 minutes per game in February, Sullinger averaged 12.1 points and 8.3 rebounds, on 50.4 percent shooting. However, in only the six games since the all-star break, Sullinger has averaged a double-double for the Celtics: 11.8 points and 10 rebounds per game. He has also recorded six double-doubles in the month, including in four of Boston’s six games following the break.

It’s no surprise that Sullinger has continued to rebound the ball well this season. His big butt, and great positioning has led him to be tenth in the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage, at 28.2 percent, according to Basketball Reference. He has become one of the most efficient rebounders in the league, and continued to prove that throughout the month of February.

Sullinger has also been better on the defensive side of the ball, as well. After recording only one three-block game before February, Sullinger recorded two over the past month, including one game in which he recorded three blocks and two steals.

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Being in a contract year, it’s no surprise that Jared Sullinger has started to play better. He’s one of the few players on Boston who is able to take it inside and still have the ability to step out for a jumper. Most importantly, Sullinger has started to understand his role and find his groove.

Sullinger is a dreadful 25.3 percent three-point shooter, yet still attempted 2.3 threes per game in December and 1.5 threes in January. However, that number has since gone down to a mere 0.9 three-point attempts a game by Jared Sullinger. He doesn’t hang around the three-point line as often and as a result he had his best field goal percentage of any month.

Sullinger is not a star big man by any means, but he’s consistent down low. After seeing his minutes drop to a season-low 20.9 in January, they went back up to a season-high in February. He has become a bigger part of the offense, attempting 10.9 shots a game in February, and should continue to be a factor in their success as long as he continues this level of play.

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Especially with Kelly Olynyk out for a couple more weeks, Sullinger will need to continue this level of play. He’s the main offensive force in the frontcourt now, and has seen the playing time to prove it. Sullinger has turned into a consistent double-double, or close to it, for the Celtics, something that will be significant down the stretch.

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