Sullinger Ceiling

[TheTruthFot18]

As we see Sully break out this year I thought of good comparison for his ceiling.

David West. West was on and off the bench his first two years before really breaking out in the third. He is a somewhat undersized big man at the 4 with a solid offensive game and good rebounding rates. Sullinger, barring any major injury can become a David West I believe as he stepped up his offensive game this year, including a 3 PT threat, and maintaining a strong basketball IQ.

Just as a reference, West's breakout year still had only 7.4 rebounds and under 1.0 in steals and blocks with a high of 8.9 boards and 1.3 blocks but those are outliers. I think Sully can come into a similar form (stat-wise) by next year alongside a healthy Rondo giving him more looks now. I think he'll be similar to West with the below 1.0 average in steals and blocks but I can see him upping the assists to ~2.0-2.5 which is good for a big man.

I've always liked David West (couldn't believe we almost had him in '11) and I would love to see Sully turn out to be a similar player or possibly better.

I've been thinking about this for awhile now but I thought this would be a nice change from the Trade Rondo and tanking for Wiggins threads 

[Roy H.]

I still see a lot of Carlos Boozer in him.

[TheTruthFot18]

I still see a lot of Carlos Boozer in him.

I think boozer had/has a better offensive game over the years and had a few years averaging 10+ boards. He also is not known for his defense whereas West and Sullinger can at least box out and use their strength to compensate for a few inches.

[pokeKingCurtis]

I still see a lot of Carlos Boozer in him.

I think boozer had/has a better offensive game over the years and had a few years averaging 10+ boards. He also is not known for his defense whereas West and Sullinger can at least box out and use their strength to compensate for a few inches.

Isn't Booze just a lazy/dumb (or both) defender?

I feel Sully is a good defender by virtue of his hustle and smarts.

[Roy H.]

I still see a lot of Carlos Boozer in him.

I think boozer had/has a better offensive game over the years and had a few years averaging 10+ boards. He also is not known for his defense whereas West and Sullinger can at least box out and use their strength to compensate for a few inches.

If we're talking about Sully's ceiling, I see no reason why he can't become a scorer like Boozer.  I also think he can be a double-digit rebounder.

The defense is the questionable part of the comparison.  Boozer was always a pretty good defender in the post, he just isn't really suited for chasing people around on the perimeter.  Sully could surpass him in that category.

[CFAN38]

taking another angle on this how many PFs under 25 are better then sully? How many have more potential?

Top 10 PFs under 25 based projecting for next 5 years.

1. Anthony Davis (20)
2. Kevin Love (24)
3. Blake Griffin (24)

after top 3 its really comes down to preference.

4. Serge Ibaka (24) 14pt 9rb 2blk
5. Greg Monroe (23) 14pt 9rb
6. Derrick Favors (22) 13pt 9rb 1.5 blk
7. Jared Sullinger (21) 14pt 7rb
8. Tristan Thompson (22) 12pt 10rb
9. John Henson (23) 12pt 8rb 2 blk
10. kenneth Faried (24) 9.5pt 7.5 rb

I think 4-10 is a pretty fluid group. Sully's numbers are in slightly less minutes then the other guys. Ibaka, Favors and Henson offer more on defense. Monroe and Sully are the best passers. Farieds the best perimeter defender. Favors has the size to eventually move to Center. 

[Fafnir]

I still see a lot of Carlos Boozer in him.

I think boozer had/has a better offensive game over the years and had a few years averaging 10+ boards. He also is not known for his defense whereas West and Sullinger can at least box out and use their strength to compensate for a few inches.

If we're talking about Sully's ceiling, I see no reason why he can't become a scorer like Boozer.  I also think he can be a double-digit rebounder.

The defense is the questionable part of the comparison.  Boozer was always a pretty good defender in the post, he just isn't really suited for chasing people around on the perimeter.  Sully could surpass him in that category.

Boozer has and always had terrible defensive help tendencies. Not just perimeter stuff, but just rotating to defend the paint.

Sullinger has shown more already to make me think he'll be better at help D than Boozer.

Boozer's quickness/power post game is so different from Sullingers though. I'm skeptical that he'll ever match Boozer's production in the post. But his ability to hit 3s and jump shots offers something else that's very valuable too.

Assuming he can get above 33% on his 3s, if not he needs to work on moving in his range.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

I still see a lot of Carlos Boozer in him.

BOOZE CRUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISE   

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

As we see Sully break out this year I thought of good comparison for his ceiling.

David West. West was on and off the bench his first two years before really breaking out in the third. He is a somewhat undersized big man at the 4 with a solid offensive game and good rebounding rates. Sullinger, barring any major injury can become a David West I believe as he stepped up his offensive game this year, including a 3 PT threat, and maintaining a strong basketball IQ.

Just as a reference, West's breakout year still had only 7.4 rebounds and under 1.0 in steals and blocks with a high of 8.9 boards and 1.3 blocks but those are outliers. I think Sully can come into a similar form (stat-wise) by next year alongside a healthy Rondo giving him more looks now. I think he'll be similar to West with the below 1.0 average in steals and blocks but I can see him upping the assists to ~2.0-2.5 which is good for a big man.

I've always liked David West (couldn't believe we almost had him in '11) and I would love to see Sully turn out to be a similar player or possibly better.

I've been thinking about this for awhile now but I thought this would be a nice change from the Trade Rondo and tanking for Wiggins threads 

i think sully can be a 17-10 or a 16/12 type guy and possibly be an all-star. I expect him to be solid and consistent. We still need two stars to go with him and rondo. no telling if we keep green or not. I just hope KO and/or fav pan out as solid backups.

[kozlodoev]

i think sully can be a 17-10 or a 16/12 type guy and possibly be an all-star. I expect him to be solid and consistent. We still need two stars to go with him and rondo. no telling if we keep green or not. I just hope KO and/or fav pan out as solid backups.

Um, reality check: there are exactly 4 guys averaging 12 rpg in the NBA this season: Love, Drummond, Howard, and Jordan. Go back several years, and the situation isn't much different. Twelve rebounds a game aren't happening.

[LEHGOCELTICS]

It would be nice if he could become a prime-Elton Brand type of player. Pretty similar in terms of being non-athletic, but excelling through high b-ball IQ and hard work.

[Q_FBE]

Outside chance of being a third All NBA PF. He will have a productive and lucrative NBA career provided that his back allows him to play.