Could Jared Sullinger One Day Play His Way into the C’s Starting Lineup?

 Boston  No Responses »
Oct 092012
 

It was only one year ago that Jared Sullinger was considered to be a lottery pick on draft night, but a medical red-flagged back found him slipping down most draft boards.

It seemed unlikely that a talent like Sullinger would not only fall out of the lottery, but still be available at No. 21 for the Boston Celtics to select. According to Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com, only two weeks ago, Doc Rivers commented in an interview that he was hoping Sullinger would continue to work his way into the rotation and earn himself some playing time, which is a role rarely taken by a rookie in Rivers system. 

Fast forward two weeks and the Celtics have just wrapped up their European excursion with two strong preseason games that allowed Rivers to get a more in depth look at how his newly acquired players would mesh together on the court when it really mattered. Jared Sullinger stepped up to the challenge with a high level of confidence and produced one of the better two-game performances alongside Jeff Green and Rajon Rondo. 

Sullinger put together a strong effort in the first game in Istanbul with a 16-point (7-of-11 shooting), eight-rebound, one-block performance over 26 minutes that highlighted his ability to work down low and showed that he can work well with a number of different lineups. The following game against Emporio Armani Milano, Rivers manipulated the starting lineup by placing Sullinger, instead of Brandon Bass, onto the court alongside Kevin Garnett. He pulled out another impressive performance with nine points on 3-of7 shooting along with seven rebounds, a block and an assist over 18 minutes of play. 

Does the move of Sullinger to the starting lineup in this single game and his two strong performances indicate that he will jump Brandon Bass for a starting position early in the season?

No, it doesn’t.

However, it does foreshadow the possibility that Sullinger will not only find his way into the rotation, but will get significant playing time as the season goes on. It appears that Sullinger is extremely comfortable playing alongside the likes of Rondo, KG and Pierce, and fans may have an opportunity to see Rivers experiment with this combination more during the NBA preseason games. 

Although it is fully possible that Sullinger will see a slight step back in his performance when Boston takes on more formidable opponents, it seems that he is ready to make an immediate impact for the Celtics; Rivers may be willing to trust him with the increased responsibility. At this point, it is too early to declare that it is only a matter of time before Sullinger beats out Bass for the starting position; it is, however, something that should be followed closely as Sullinger‘s game continues to grow. 

Whether or not Sullinger takes the starting position from Bass, the Celtics clearly have a great number of strong options at the power forward position. The lesson learned so far from preseason training is that Bass is by no means a lock to finish out the season in the starting role, with Sullinger continuing to make gains in his overall game.

This is especially true since Bass was really brought in to be the team’s sixth man last season. Due to the fact that Sullinger will likely rise to the challenge of being a starting power forward and do everything in his power to retain the spot, it would no longer be a complete surprise to see an Avery Bradley/Ray Allen-type situation occur, leaving Sullinger as the main starter if Bass misses any extended period of time during the season.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

Jeff Green Gets Comfortable in Celtics’ Overseas Preseason Game

 Boston  No Responses »
Oct 072012
 

It has been over a year since Jeff Green last wore the Celtics jersey, as a necessary heart surgery kept him out for all of the 2011-2012 season. However, Green appears to be getting comfortable on the court again earlier than many expected.

The Boston Celtics had their first game of the overseas training camp in Istanbul with a 97-91 loss to Fenerbahce Ulker. Although Boston was unable to get the victory, the team gave a lot of minutes to the reserve players, which proved to be effective in assimilating Green back into the team’s rotation. 

After entering the game halfway through the first quarter, it only took a few minutes before Green started to look at home on the floor.

Despite only scoring five points and grabbing one rebound until the fourth quarter, he did not appear timid or afraid to put in the necessary effort. It appeared as if he did not have any real mental reservations about his body’s ability to be pushed hard, although he did occasionally find himself out of position or hanging back a bit—which is to be expected of a man who missed an entire season. 

The fourth quarter belonged almost entirely to Jeff Green, as Doc Rivers entrusted him to lead a lineup comprised of mostly rookies while the Celtics trailed their opponents in the final frame. Green found his stride, hitting on five of his eight shots to score 11 points over the final quarter. He also pulled in three rebounds and an assist.  

He finished the night with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, with four rebounds and one assist. And he posted a team-high plus-10 plus/minus statistic in just over 26 minutes of play. 

Although the performance was not necessarily awe-inspiring, it was very encouraging to see that Green could become a very successful contributor earlier than many believed he would.

In addition, Greg Payne of ESPN Boston reports that Doc Rivers believes that Green doesn’t need to change his style of play in order to be more comfortable on the court. Rather, he simply needs the time he did not have when he first joined the team in order to become more comfortable with the C’s style of play. 

The good news is that the Celtics have set up a rather intensive training camp this year, including eight preseason games, that will allow Green to really test out his current limits and find his role before the regular season begins.

It is clear that Boston believes Green will not only live up to the value of his recently signed contract, but that he could become a key ingredient in a rotation that could lead to a championship. Hopefully Green will be able to use the time he has to become more comfortable with his team and build off of the success he had in his first game in Istanbul.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source

Jason Terry Stretches the Ray Allen Mold in Boston

 Boston  No Responses »
Aug 202012
 

Any wing player with a jump shot present for Ray Allen’s exodus from Boston was to the be the inevitable victim of a familiar line of analysis. Despite the fact that players come in all shapes, sizes and talents, the apparent replacing of one player with another juxtaposes two individuals in an all too convenient way to ignore; rather than assess the individual strengths and weaknesses of the Celtic to take Allen’s roster spot on their own merits, all that they offer is held up against Allen’s shadow in a predictable measurement.

Of course, Jason Terry—who is seen as stepping in for Allen considering the timing of his arrival and the tilt of his skill set—only invites such thinking with responses like this one (via Greg Payne of ESPN Boston via PBT):

“I have been watching film and watching Ray Allen, the way he maneuvers and works off screens,” Terry said, noting that one of his goals this offseason has been to become a better jump shooter while curling off of said screens. 

“I believe in [Celtics head coach] Doc [Rivers]‘ system. He’ll have me do some of those things, so curling the three, that’s a tough shot, it’s off balance. And that’s just one that I will add.” 

Whether Terry arrived on that subject on his own or was asked about his capacity to “fill in” for Allen more directly isn’t clear, but what’s obvious is that JET isn’t a direct substitute for the latest ex-Celtic.

For one, as Terry mentions, he isn’t entirely in practice taking the kinds of shots that became Allen’s staple in Boston. The Dallas Mavericks offense featured Terry in a superficially similar role, but changing the angle of the curling routes and the placement of the shots the offense creates is actually a pretty significant change for shooters as meticulous as these.

Allen honed his ability to hit those shots through years of repetition, and while Terry is certainly capable of connecting on similar looks, there’s a learning curve in terms of his ability to work the specifics of Boston’s offense.

More importantly, Terry and Allen just aren’t congruent players. While JET may not be able to match Allen in pure shooting proficiency, he also has a wider applicable range. Terry could very easily be the combo guard that the Celtics have for so long needed, shifting minutes away from Keyon Dooling and relieving Avery Bradley (who’s due back midseason) of an ill-fitting responsibility. Although his primary value comes as a scorer, Terry is a much better playmaker than his reputation might suggest—and he’s certainly capable enough to fill a role of such glaring need.

The Celtics have been getting by with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett initiating their offense when Rajon Rondo is off the floor, but Terry can now create for them in ways that Allen never could. He’ll shift seamlessly between his responsibilities as distributor and shooter, filling out Boston’s rotation by working in an ever-valuable dual capacity.

He’s not Allen, but that was never exactly the point; Terry is a talent all his own, and though he’ll be responsible for replacing some of Allen’s production, the qualities that Rivers and the Celtics prize most in Terry’s game may yet be those that go beyond the boundaries of their outgoing star.

Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com

Go to Source