Celtics vs. Suns – Player Grades
By Jeromy Smith
66. 114. 18. Final. 118
The Boston Celtics continued their slide, losing their third-straight game of the season tonight against the Phoenix Suns. Let’s see which player for the Celtics did their best to end the streak . . . and which did their best to keep it alive.
C+. Logging the second most boards in the game and but finishing 7-17 from the field, Sully had a solid yet unspectacular inside night during an up-tempo game. Jared gave as he took, however, allowing many shots from the Suns bigs who had strong games. Jared struggled in the first and third quarters from the field where he missed most of his ten shots. Sully was simply outplayed tonight.. PF/C. Boston Celtics. JARED SULLINGER
D. Jared’s fellow interior starter had an awful game, disappearing after picking up 3 first-half fouls. Olynyk never got much playing time after Zeller’s second-half emergence and ended the game scoreless. . PF/C. Boston Celtics. KELLY OLYNYK
A. Zeller missed only one shot tonight, hitting on 8-9 from the field, ending with 19 points. Zeller added 7 boards, 3 assists and a steal while showing his capabilities on the defensive end. Zeller provides valuable help defense and while not a legitimate rim protector, he can be an effective defensive middle with his ability to move his feet and change shots. On the offensive end, Zeller provides the compliment to the Olynyk/Sullinger pick-and-pop by preferring the roll action. His soft hands and ability to finish near the rim raise his value. I expect Zeller’s impact to consider to demand an increase in playing time.. C. Boston Celtics. TYLER ZELLER
Games like this feed the “Keep <strong><a href=. F. Boston Celtics. JEFF GREEN. A-
A near triple-double for the Celtics floor general, <strong><a href=. PG. Boston Celtics. RAJON RONDO. B-
SF. Boston Celtics. AVERY BRADLEY. B. Avery continues to play well scoring in double figures for the eight time this season (his lone single-digit output came during Nov 1 loss to Houston). Bradley hit 7 of 13 shots and continued to provide defensive hustle. Playing against the Suns backcourt talent and tempo can result in giving up points to opposing players – while <strong><a href=