Sullinger is Growing With The Celtics

Boston Celtics forward Jared Sullinger could work out to be the steal of
last summer’s National Basketball Association Draft. Sullinger was
projected to be drafted in the top 10, but concerns about his back led
teams to pass on him. Sullinger was also a casualty of 2011’s NBA
Lockout which forced him to stay at The Ohio State University for an
extra year after being named a First Team All-American and The United
States Basketball Writers Association’s Freshman of The Year as he
averaged 17.2 points per game along with 10.2 rebounds. Sullinger
returned to Ohio State for his sophomore season which allowed NBA scouts
to attempt to find glitches in his game. Sullinger averaged 17.5 points
and 9.3 rebounds as he helped Ohio State reach The Final Four for the
first time since 2007. The 6’9″ native of Columbus, Ohio fell to The
Celtics at the 21st slot where Sullinger appears to have landed safely
on his feet. For the past few seasons The Celtics have been a perennial
title contender in The NBA and by adding Sullinger they should be able
to keep up with those aspirations.

Sullinger is starting to gain
traction with The Celtics as he is averaging 6.1 points per game along
5.9 boards. This month Sullinger notched back-to-back double-doubles
which were both Celtic victories. On January 9th, Sullinger tallied 12
points and 16 rebounds as Boston defeated The Phoenix Suns 87-79. Two
nights after this breakout performance, Sullinger came to play against
The Houston Rockets as his 14 points and 11 rebounds helped The Celtics
to a 103-91 victory.

Sullinger is starting to round into the type
of player that The Celtics need him to be. I am sure that Celtics head
coach Doc Rivers along with center Kevin Garnett have been constantly
reminding Sullinger that teams in The NBA passed him over which should
make him extra hungry to prove his worth. Sullinger has the ability to
be a 20-point, 10-rebound player in The NBA as his wide frame allows him
to easily carve out a spot in the paint. The scariest thing about
Sullinger is that he is only 20-years old and he will only get better as
his body matures. In the meantime Sullinger is becoming an effective
role player for The Celtics behind Garnett and forward Brandon Bass.
With a floor general in the form of point guard Rajon Rondo and a head
coach who is demanding like Rivers, Sullinger will never stop working to
make himself a better player. Rivers and Celtics general manager Danny
Ainge know that they found a steal at the draft and they are more than
happy to make off like bandits at high noon.