I know he is getting shafted by the refs but this guy just keeps getting better and better.
Today from David Thorpe on ESPN.com:
Better than his raw numbers suggest
Sullinger
Jared Sullinger, Celtics | Rookie card
When NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith was in high school, legend has it that he would close his eyes after first seeing how the defense was lined up and not open them until he felt contact, simply because he was so bored. He finished his prep career as the leading rusher in high school history, then earned the same historical record in the NFL.
When I watched Sullinger play before this season, I often thought of Smith's legend, because Sullinger so far outclassed most of his competition -- he was almost as dominant as a player can be in high school and in his two years at Ohio State. So when we see he's averaging 5 points and 5 rebounds for an average Celtics team, it would be easy to think he's not in the same class as the top players and certainly not in Smith's atmosphere.
But look deeper and you will see there is gold in Sullinger's game. It just needs the light of day to be seen.
Kevin Garnett might be a top-five defender if we consider every NBA big over the past 25 years -- that's how special he is. He's still almost at the top of his game on that end and probably the best help defender in basketball (though Joakim Noah is closing fast). Sullinger, though, is proving to be almost as good on defense for the Celtics as KG, a fact that gets lost because so many of their teammates are not on their level.
On the glass, Sullinger has been dominant, with a defensive rebounding rate of 22.1, second only to world-class athlete Andre Drummond among rooks. Sullinger has tackled the challenge of being more than a scoring machine beautifully, proving he can do the dirty work despite being such a star for so long. It will serve him well when he begins to get more offensive opportunities.
I give it another two weeks. When Wilcox can play again I bet they deal Bass and let Sully start. I would love to see them run just a few plays for this kid.