Sullinger wants to go to Summer Camp... or Summer League

Sullinger wants to play in the summer league but will have a conversation with president of basketball operations Danny Ainge about whether the team wants him to participate. He at least will be part of the summer league practice team, as he was last season following surgery.

“Even if they tell me I’m not playing summer league, I’ll go down there and practice,” said Sullinger, who posted his 21st double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Celtics’ 115-111 loss at Detroit Saturday night. “There’s other ways to be active going into summer. On top of that, you go against guys, you get to learn a little bit more about basketball.”

DO WORK, SULLY. After back surgery ended Sullinger’s rookie season, Jared Sullinger has made up for lost time by making his sophomore season an impactful one. Sullinger posted 22 double-doubles this season, has drawn compliments from coaches and competitors alike, and provided a season long light at the end of this tunnel that has been the 2013-14 season.

“It’s very exciting because I get to develop and find out who I can be,” he said. “We’ll see. Hopefully, I’ll have some hobbies — working out and conditioning — I can carry over for the next four months.”

Sullinger has been advised to model his game after Minnesota’s (and maybe future Celtic?!?!) Kevin Love- a player that Sullinger’s game is compared to on a regular basis. Similar to Sullinger, Kevin Love entered the NBA with a few extra pounds to go along with a deadly outside shot. Since his earliest days in the league, Love has worked to improve in all areas, something that Sullinger is more than willing to do.

With only a handful of games left to go and the NBA Draft looming, the Celtics are going to be making moves in the coming months. Team altering, franchise shifting moves. Jared Sullinger is prepping to be a cornerstone for this team moving forward. If getting a few more reps in during summer league will help him to improve on his 13.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, then sure- send him to camp.

Source: Gary Washburn; Boston Globe

Photo: AP