This time last year
many considered the 6'9 Ohio St forward to be a top 10 pick in the
draft but concerns over back problems made Sullinger slip all the way
to the 21st pick. At Ohio St Jared Sullinger dominated on the
offensive end. In his freshman year he averaged 17..2 on 54%
shooting. He wasn't a slouch on defense either, in his freshman year
he led the Big Ten in rebounds and defensive rebounds. Sullinger
makes up for his lack of elite athleticism with great low post moves
and great positioning on the boards something the celtics severely
lacked last year(Last year the Celtics were the worst offensive
rebounding team in the last 30 years). The real question is can all
of this translate against NBA level talent? The answer is yes. So far
in the two preseason games he's averaging 12.5 points and 7.5
rebounds. He has excelled in finishing around the rim and cleaning up
the offensive boards. He has excellent hands which is very important
in playing with Rondo.Even in this short sample size we've seen in
the preseason against European teams I'm confident He can succeed in
the NBA, it just depends on how Doc uses him. Doc has already
elaborated on how he'll use Sully. Doc has said that Sullinger will
never be the biggest celtics on the floor so his struggles with going
against length aren't exposed.I think Sullinger will be a perfect fit
for this team and will a huge impact on their success.In the regular
I wouldn't neccessarily expect the same level of play he displayed in
Europe but this weekend will be a perfect preview as the Celtics take
on the Knicks.
One year removed from
season ending heart surgery Jeff Green has silenced almost all of his
critics. As I wrote in an earlier piece many people criticized Danny
Ainge for giving Green a 4 year $32 Million contract but after the
Celtics Europe trip I think all of the specualting and wondering
whether Green could still play was over. In the Celtics first
preseason game Green erupted for 11 points in the 4th quarter and did
with such ease that it attracted comparions to a certain Hall of
Famer named James Worthy. While I wasn't alive to see Worthy play
live I've seen lots of tape on him and can say that it's not a
totally crazy comparison. Both were/are athletic swingmen who excell
at driving to the basketball and can post up smalller defenders. What
impressed me most about his preseason performances was that he was
agressive. One of the knocks on Green was that he was very timid and
was passive. I thought that would be the case with it being his
first two games back but Green proved me wrong. Green can be a huge
difference maker for this team as he gives the team a much needed
athletic wing player. He needs to continue this great play and can't
have any setbacks before I can truly trust him but right now he's
looking pretty good out there.
Both Green and
Sullinger will be vital this season as they will be counted on to
come in and buy some rest for Garnett and Pierce. These two along
with Jason Terry will be counted on heavily to improve a bench which
was 29th in scoring last year. Expect these two players to have
wonderful years in green if all goes well
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