In his first start, Sullinger finished with a subdued four points and seven rebounds. But the Celtics were happy with his effort.
Jared Sullinger had four points and seven rebounds during his first regular season start for the Boston Celtics.Brandon Bass didn't do much wrong during either of his first two outings, but Doc Rivers warned about nights the power forward would come off the bench. The Boston Celtics have options now, and while Rivers doesn't yet quite know how best to use them (not his fault -- give him time), he's also committed to finding out.
So the rookie Jared Sullinger started against the Washington Wizards Saturday night for the first time in his regular season NBA career. He didn't throw kerosene onto the world and set it ablaze, but he did contribute in the manners Rivers expects him to during Boston's 89-86 win.
The 20-year old grabbed Boston's first defensive rebound, scored a layup a few minutes in after locating himself nicely to finish a Rajon Rondo pass, and added three more defensive rebounds in the first eight minutes as Boston built a 15-2 lead. By the time he left the court with 3:53 remaining in the first quarter, Sullinger had four points (he also hit a fadeaway jump shot from about 13 feet) and four rebounds to help the Celtics to a 17-5 advantage.
Sullinger finished the night with a relatively subdued four points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes, taking just three shots. But he helped the Celtics jump on top early, continued to display better defensive fortitude than draft pundits suggested and generally played the part of faux veteran quite well -- based on my notes, Sullinger's only three major mistakes were a forced shot in the paint that had almost no chance, a turnover early in the third quarter and one defensive miscue in the second quarter when he lost opponent Jan Vesely for a dunk.
"He understands his role," Paul Pierce told CSNNE. "We don't give him a lot of touches, but he's a great rebounder. And the touches he's given, he has to be able to take advantage of it. He really fills that middle up. That's what we need."
There's still a sense that some of Sullinger's skills have not been utilized. After showing the ability to score in the paint during preseason (10.9 points per game on 56.1 percent shooting), he has scored just 12 points through three regular season outings. Capable of using his wide body to earn trips to the charity stripe (he took 26 free throws during the preseason, second-most on the team), he has only taken two free throws so far in the regular season. Part of Sullinger's lack of offensive impact has come from hesitancy, which is bad. But part of it comes from a willingness to fit in and play the role Boston wants him to (rebound and work his tail off to become a plus defender), as admirable reason as any for not scoring very often. A rare rookie, Sullinger doesn't often force the issue. He takes what the defense gives him, allows the game to come to him, acts out all those cliches people use to discuss patient, intelligent basketball players.
"I understand I've got to pay my dues," Sullinger said, according to CSNNE. "You've got Kevin [Garnett], Jason [Terry], [Rajon] Rondo and Paul [Pierce] so they're all pretty much legit scorers. When they're in the game, you've got to understand you're trying to get them open. You play off them, and that's just when I try to rebound."
Doc Rivers also verbalized concern after the game that Sullinger tired toward the end, and the power forward certainly isn't in marathon condition. He needed to ask for a sub at one point, saying, "When you play that hard, you automatically get tired." Indeed, Sullinger plays with his motor humming loudly. After several seasons of watching the Celtics fail to box out or chase down offensive rebounds, watching Sullinger's never-ending quest for his next rebound is refreshing. And for what it's worth, Rivers felt his entire team showed fatigue -- after two outings of lackadaisical defense, the coach thought, the Celtics were taken aback by how much effort it took to actually slow down an opponent.
With Sullinger moved into the starting lineup, Bass rotated into the second unit. He did not put forth his finest effort -- after averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds as a starter in the first two contests, he had just five points and five rebounds against Washington -- but Rivers still saw a lot that he liked. Though he would not commit to keeping the changed starting lineup in the future (or changing it, for that matter), Rivers appreciates what Bass can bring to the bench.
“That was one of the other reasons we wanted Jared in the lineup, because Brandon’s another scorer in a lot of ways, and now you have too many in your starting lineup,” said Rivers, according to the Boston Herald. “Now Brandon can come in and score with the second unit. He got a ton of wide-open shots tonight. I think that helped him, too, knowing that when you come in with that group you’re going to get shots.”
Rivers isn't done experimenting with lineups, but he seems to be making progress. He did not play Jeff Green and Brandon Bass in tandem at power forward and center once, despite using that lineup multiple times in each of the first two games. With Chris Wilcox returning to the rotation while working himself back to health after back spasms ruined his preseason, the Celtics made more traditional sense while maintaining the threat of funky units difficult to match up against.
The coach is learning his roster, slowly but surely. What he's learned from Sullinger, he must be liking. The rookie hasn't been amazing, but he's been solid. He hasn't scorched the nets, but he's helped in ways the Celtics need him to. He won't always start, but in his first time experiencing an NBA tip-off on the court, he certainly demonstrated the capability.