Brad Stevens is getting paid big bucks to figure out how to best use Sullinger, KO and Z in the lineup. These players are quite skilled with high basketball IQ's. They are all terric passers and can shoot the rock. KO & Z need to stay on the weights to get stronger and learn how to use their height and body positioning in the paint to get more rebounds. They could also use some footwork lessons from Kevin McHale,one of the best ever. None of the three are very athletic but all are good basketball players. Buy the way, they can shoot foul shots too but need to get to the line more by being more aggressive.
I think Sullinger was an absolute steal in the draft. I look for him to be significantly better this year, if healthy. Yes, he's chubby but so was/is Charles Barkley.
Danny Ainge needs to do some magic to add a rim protector to the team. We need a beast on the inside to block shots, rebound and take away most of the dribble penetration the Celts get burned on game after game.
It's hard to accurately evaluate a team in the pre-season due to so much experimentation going on with the team and opponents. What I see so far is better spacing, better ball movement, more quickness and more of an attacking mode than last season. The ugly parts are really ugly; too many turnovers, not enough rebounding and little to no rim protecting. The ugly parts have to be fixed soon in order to improving on the dismal record of last season.