Coming off the silent trade deadline, Celtics fans looked to the waiver wire for help the team's most glaring weakness: rebounding. Names like Andrew Bogut, Terrence Jones, and even 6'11 Larry Sanders who hasn't played an NBA game in almost two years have been linked to the Celtics as possible signings. But one name received negative to an indifferent reaction. Jared Sullinger, 6'8 power forward, center, 24, former Celtics underachiever, and my "irrational guy I had confidence" guy, was recent to be rejoining his teammates somewhere "down the road". If bringing back Sully means waiving James Young or Jordan Mickey, then I don't want him under any circumstances. If the sacrificial lamb is Gerald Green (sorry, Gerry), however, then I'd be tempted. Obviously Sullinger comes with his baggage. Often out of shape, the health concerns surrounding his feet are near deal breakers. Last October he had a screw inserted into his fifth metatarsal in his left foot, resulting him only playing 11 games for the Toronto Raptors before being released. When healthy Sully can be a decent third-string center. Though he is undersized and slow, his crashing the glass on the defensive end improved in his three seasons under Brad Stevens. Mistaken for a stretch big, Sully's field goal percentage can be taken with a grain of salt. The three seasons spent trying to convert himself into a three-point threat still gives me nightmares. I often wonder what if he was placed in a different era, if he missed his window to be a contributing player? Stick him in the 80's, or 90's, on either those George Karl Sonics or Stockton-Malone Jazz, playing Ervin Johnson or Greg Ostertag's minutes he'd fit right in as a one dimensional rebounder, that's can occasionally nail the long two. (Shot 51.4% on long twos between 2014 and 2016) Watching him take those long range twos just below the three-point line wasn't frustration as it should have been. For some odd reason he was more likely to make those shots at a higher frequency than if he just took one or two steps back. His assist% is way better than I remembered, 13.3%, and his defensive win shares is at a cool 7.6. I really don't remember Sullinger putting me at ease when he was guarding the other team's power forward or center. I remember him as either too small or slow. Boston was the perfect home for him. Specially his last season here. Starting games next to defensive stalwart Amir Johnson, Sully had his best season, a stat line of 10.3-8.3-2.3, 45.8% on 2s. A career high in win shares, 4.8, and DRB%, 27.0. What's more shocking is his per 100 stat line of 21.2 pts, 17.1 rebs, and an average DRtg of 100. He's very much comparable to the first four seasons of Ed Davis. Exactly the same age when he entered the league, similar skill set, except Davis' coaches never thought of him as a three-point shooter. Their rebounding rates both offensive, defensive and total% are almost identical, and their total win shares accumulated. Around the rim Sullinger shot a fantastic 60.4%. So what would Sully's role be on this Celtics team? His best front court partner in his short career was the 378 minutes he spent with Kevin Garnett in his rookie season. +0.85 FG% +10.8 PTS +5.6 DRB +6.4 AST He'd play 8-10 minutes per game, acting as a placeholder for Al Horford and Amir Johnson, before the workload really gets heavy in the playoffs. Only to be on the floor to grab rebounds, his DRB% last season is far better than our current leader in that statistic, Kelly Olynyk. Make outlet passes, restart possessions, and be a decent body to throw against either Andrew Bogut or Tristan Thompson, now that they're both on Cleveland. Against Thompson, Sully wouldn't fair well in a battle on the glass. But is closed to his career average 10-6-2 in the ten games they've played one another. Versus Bogut, Sullinger's stat-line makes the matchup appear in the Ohio State products favor. 17 pts, 9.8 trb, 2 ast, 45.3 FG% in the five games they've faced off. He may not play pretty, but Jared is an effective guy that can get his. Amir and Horford can cover for his lack of athleticism. So don't flip your shit when you find out the Celtics have signed Sullinger to a 1 year, $1 million deal, and waived Gerald Green. He might be a better guy to take a risk on. You can reach me @Sailboatstudios on Twitter.
