Sullinger has done absolutely nothing that warrants him starting. He's shot horribly, he insist of taking three pointers, which he's not very good in scoring, and outside of some charges taken, he's been a non-factor defensively.
I'd much rather see Olynyk and Faverani start, but that's probably not going to happen.
Yeah, after a strong start to the preseason, Sully looks like...well, someone who hasn't been able to practice or stay in shape for 6 months. Particularly offensively.
Here's the thing though...he has been our best defensive big this preseason. And yes, that is absolutely not a compliment to him, it is a knock on the defense of everyone else. He has been the only one who consistently closes out penetration, and the only one I have seen successfully challenge shots (and that was rare for him, because he is not a leaper, obviously).
Put simply, the team is better when he is on the floor than when he isn't.
But he is a long way away from being where he needs to be. I think he has tired legs right now, after so many games in so few nights, when he was grossly out of shape to begin with. That particularly effects him on offense, and with his outside shot.