Editor’s note: As the Boston Celtics head into the offseason, NESN.com takes a closer look at each player on the roster in an effort to determine who will stick around for next season and who will wind up elsewhere.
Next up: Jared Sullinger.
After three injury-plagued seasons, the Celtics still are not sure exactly what they have in Jared Sullinger.
At times, the 23-year-old big man has looked like Boston’s best all-around player. At others, he’s been the guy who can’t seem to stay on the court and whose conditioning, weight and work ethic repeatedly have been questioned.
One of the harshest critiques of Sullinger this season came not from a random caller on sports talk radio, but from Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, who openly questioned the forward’s commitment to fitness after Sullinger went down with what at the time was expected to be a season-ending injury.
“Jared just hasn’t met his goals,” Ainge said in February on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Rich.” “He’s not up to the standards that he wants and is not up to the standards that we think are in his best interests for the long-term health of his career. He’s not up to par to the standards that we feel are necessary to be a consistent winning player and play with great conditioning.”
Sullinger’s foot fracture ultimately healed in time for him to play in the final seven games of the regular season, and he played some of his best basketball in recent memory in the playoffs, shooting 55.3 percent from the floor in the Celtics’ four-game series loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers while averaging 12.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
It was a fleeting glimpse into how productive Sullinger can be when he’s healthy, fit and fully engaged. And if he wants his tenure in Boston to extend beyond this season, he’ll have to show Ainge & Co. a whole lot more of that.
Sullinger is entering the final season of his rookie deal, meaning his performance over the next year will be massively important when it comes time for contract negotiations. He seems to be relishing the opportunity.
“Everyone has questioned me before — said I’m not the most athletic, not this guy, not that guy — and every level I’ve proved them wrong,” he said Saturday in an interview with The Sports Hub’s “Celtics at 7,” via ESPN.com. “It’s another chance for me to show my work. …
“Right now, everyone is doubting me. I get everything, ‘He’s not this, he’s not that. He’s not the guy that we thought he was going to be, potentially.’ I’ve heard it all. I use it as motivation. Nothing is going to change (with his approach), I’m going to keep working, working as hard as possible.”
That’s exactly what the Celtics want to hear. We’ll find out this fall whether Sullinger follows through.
What do you think? Should the C’s give Sullinger one more season to prove himself?
Up next: Isaiah Thomas
Previously: Chris Babb, Brandon Bass, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Luigi Datome, Jonas Jerebko, Kelly Olynyk, Phil Pressey, Marcus Smart
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images