It's been quite a 180 to start the year for Jared Sullinger, is he now Celtics No. 1 big man?
Just a few weeks ago, Jared Sullinger looked like the odd man out in the Celtics overpopulated frontcourt rotation. We even debated Sully's future in Boston.
How quickly times have changed.
After last night's 21 points in 22 minutes on 9-of-13 shooting (3-for-4 on threes), along with eight rebounds, three assists, a steal and two blocks, Sullinger appears to have risen to the top of the C's big-man power rankings (which by my estimation is currently Sullinger (1), Amir Johnson (2), Kelly Olynyk (3), Jonas Jerebko (4), David Lee (5), Tyler Zeller (6)--but that's a different post for another time).
Here's bit more from Sullinger's outstanding evening:
.@celticsvoice Mike Gorman on Sullinger during 1st qtr: "This is the best quarter I've ever seen him play. I mean that, he's been perfect."— CelticsLife.com (@CelticsLife) November 7, 2015
Sullinger on his wild outlet pass to Isaiah: "Honestly, as I was rolling over like a bear, I just kinda seen this little guy open."— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) November 7, 2015
Via ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg, Brad Stevens spoke highly of Sullinger's game:
He’s always been a good face-up shooter, he’s shooting it probably even better right now, at least in the last couple of weeks. But he scored in the post, he rebounded. The one thing that you know going in is he’s probably our best defensive rebounder. So I thought that he was pretty good.
Just how good has Sully's shot been lately?
Sullinger's true shooting percentage so far: 61.3. He won't keep that up but this is one of the best all-around stretches of his career.— Jay King (@ByJayKing) November 7, 2015
His field goal percentages at the moment are .543 from the floor and .462 (6-for-13) from long range. Sullinger also boasts a team-best 24.9 PER and is leading the Celtics with 7.4 rebounds in only 21.6 minutes per game. As King mentioned, Sully's shooting numbers are sure to drop, but hopefully his inspired play will continue.
For what it's worth, the fourth-year power forward is also saying all the right things lately:
#Celtics forward Jared Sullinger: saying you need a set rotation to succeed is an excuse. We don't make excuses.— Scott Souza (@Scott_Souza) November 5, 2015
Sullinger on depth: "It’s not an easy job for Brad. I commend him on the way he’s handling it. ... He's doing a damn good job.— Jay King (@ByJayKing) November 5, 2015
#Celtics Jared Sullinger: I really don’t give a damn how many minutes I play. Minutes are limited now. You go out there & give it your all.— Scott Souza (@Scott_Souza) November 3, 2015
Does money flying around excite Sullinger? "That’s a question you can ask me in June. Right now my main focus is on the Boston Celtics"— Jay King (@ByJayKing) November 3, 2015
Yes, we're only five games in, but it's been quite a turnaround for the embattled big man in the early goings of 2015-16.
Follow Mark Vandeusen on Twitter @LucidSportsFan