Boston Celtics: The Rise Of Jared Sullinger
Jared Sullinger has received a lot of ridicule and criticism while being a member of the Boston Celtics, but he is starting to prove many doubters wrong this season.
Now, Jared Sullinger is obviously not the best player on the Boston Celtics, and his offensive numbers are actually worse this season then last year, but he has really stepped up his all-around game to help the team. Last year, Sullinger averaged 13.3 points per game, shot 43.9 percent from the field, and 28.3 percent from deep.
He played in 58 games last year and this year he has already played in 59 games. Sullinger is not shooting as much as he used to, he averages 9.8 shot attempts per game, last year he averaged 12.2 shot attempts per game.
Sullinger is shooting 43.6 percent from the field this year, which is pretty similar to last season, and he is shooting 25.6 percent from deep. Sullinger does not have that big of a role on the offensive end like he did in the past, but he has stepped up his game on the defensive end.
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He has a defensive rating of 98.1, which is the best on the team and No. 7 overall in the league. He has never been known to be a defensive player, but he has truly shined this year. He is averaging 8.6 rebounds per game, and he has already pulled down 508 total rebounds, which is No. 18 overall in the NBA.
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Sullinger has shown that he can be a threat on both ends this year, and that he can play with different lineups. The starting lineup for the Celtics, which includes Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Sullinger, and Amir Johnson, has a plus-minus of minus-o.1 when they are on the floor; every other lineup that Sullinger is in has a positive plus-minus.
Sullinger has showed this season that he can help out on both ends of the floor, and that he can be reliable down the stretch to make the big shot, get the key rebound, or make the big stop.
Sullinger’s Outlook
Heading into this season, Sullinger had a lot to prove because of how many players the Celtics had in their frontcourt. There were many rumors flying around and pictures coming up on the Internet showing that Sullinger was starting to slim down and lose some weight, but when the season started, he looked the same.
Whatever Sullinger did in the offseason to get fully ready for this season worked because from the get-go he has been pretty good on both ends of the floor and he has became the most reliable frontcourt player on the team.
Jared Sullinger is a 6-foot-9 center who averages the most frontcourt minutes on the team (23.8 minutes per game). He has also averaged a career-high in assists this season (2.4), which makes him even more dangerous.
He has 18 double-doubles this season and over his past 10 games he is averaging 13.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, and he is shooting 52.2 percent from the field. Sullinger has been hot as of late and the Celtics currently have the ninth-best offensive rating in the NBA (106.6) and the fourth-best defensive rating in the NBA (102.4); Sullinger is a big reason why.
The thing that makes Sullinger so valuable is that he can play power forward and center with many different lineups. Coach Brad Stevens tends to go small at the end of game with Bradley, Thomas, Marcus Smart and Crowder, with Sullinger at center. He is an elite rebounder and the perfect player to surround a stingy defensive lineup.
He is also shown that he is pretty good on the pick-and-pop when someone is driving because he has the ability to knock down mid-range shots. He shoots 41.3 percent from 16 feet or more, which is pretty good, and he tends to be a clutch shooter down the stretch.
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Sullinger has silenced many doubters this season, and he has helped the Celtics become one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.