Jared Sullinger: World Class Defender

Jared Sullinger is a BEAST. There is no doubt that this kid is playing out of his mind right now after grabbing 16 rebounds last night. During this four game winning streak Sullinger has averaged 9.3 points and 10 rebounds per game. His total rebound rate per 36 minutes of play is 10.8… HIGHEST ON THE TEAM. Oh and also he has the second best defensive rating on the Celtics at 102, behind only KG’s 100. Garnett is in the upper echelon of defensive rating for the league and ranked close behind him is Sully ranked at 72nd overall. The rankings from Basketball Reference are a little skewed because they have guys that have only played a few minutes but still for an undersized power forward that is just crazy.

During these last few games you can tell that Sully is bringing confidence to the court every single night. He put up a hook shot over a taller defender last night that made Tommy compare him to Kareem, kidding but I wouldn’t be surprised... Tommy’s comparisons are overly crazy. The inside/outside contrasting style of play between Sully and Bass offer Doc different ways to go per the match-up. But it’s without a question that Sullinger is playing the second best defense for big guys besides KG, until I looked at the stats I didn’t realize how close it was.

If Sully keeps up this level of play, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him crack the starting lineup again or at the very least grab more minutes. I was under the impression when we drafted him that he was offensively polished and a monster on the offensive glass but needed to work on his defense. Offensively he has been as advertised, even becoming more confident with those 18-20 foot jumpers. I have been really impressed with his work defensively.

On top of being a world class defender, he also should be on Myth Busters… debunking the Honey Nut Cheerios rumor:
The way Sully is playing lately is either skyrocketing his trade value or making him impossible to trade, your move Danny.
Follow me on Twitter: @MattyMackay
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