What's up with Brandan Wright?

[Celtics4ever]

If Sullinger somehow got in shape and reached his full potential I think he could be the 4th best player on a contender. I don't think Wright is superior to Sullinger on Defense aside from shotblocking. I think it's been so long since the C's had a young shot blocker on the team that it's easy to get high on a good backup 4. Which is all Wright is. He's also expiring. People's inability to understand how that affects players value is extremely frustrating. cough Rondo cough

He does have a knack for rebounds and great hands.  But athletic he will always be challenged, I doubt getting in shape would help his footspeed and jumping more than a little.  These things can be improved but a lot of it is innate, and it takes something called a work ethic to change it.

NBA COMBINE RESULTS: No step vertical - 29.5. Maximum vertical - 31. Bench Press - 9. Agility - 12.77. Sprint - 3.81.

http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2012/6/29/3126741/nba-draft-2012-results-jared-sullinger-boston-celtics

here is a scouting report on Sullinger prior to the draft, so little has changed.

Weaknesses: Lacks the overall physical gifts of other top prospects in the draft class. Appears stuck in glue at times, particularly against long, athletic competition. His space-creating advantage and wide base are nullified. No elevation off the floor and severely limited explosion. Plays beneath the rim. Run the courts laboriously. Lateral quickness is poor- badly exposed in space and on pick and roll switches. Undersized for the center position, a shortcoming he does not make up for in length. Major concerns defensively against new breed, mobile NBA 4’s. Not an intimidating presence on the back line of a defense. Less than a blocked shot per game in conference play, and does not alter attempts either. Averaged more steals than blocks. Position defender. He’s overwhelmed by size, length and athleticism on both sides of the ball. The majority of his dominant efforts came against lesser competition and teams devoid of frontline size. His 5/19 performance in his final collegiate game against Kansas did not aid his draft standing. His body style will always be susceptible to weight issues. Can’t afford to rest on his laurels and be satisfied with current level of conditioning and agility if he wants to remain in the lottery.

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/jared-sullinger

and yet another

Jared Sullinger

Despite significant improvement, Sullinger still had 10.7% body fat. That’s not DeMarcus Cousins or Dexter Pittman level, but he should probably order the medium next time.

His 31-inch max vertical was sixth-worst, but his 7’1? wingspan gives him a solid max vertical reach. And the dude is sloooooow. Like, Peyton Manning slow. He was dead-last in lane agility, with the same time as the laterally-challenged Brook Lopez and JaVale McGee. He was also dead last in sprints. And despite all the talk about his overwhelming strength, his nine bench-press repetitions weren’t overly impressive.

Sullinger also refuted my sneaking suspicion that he’s a dead ringer for Kevin Love athletically, as Love’s combine numbers were much more impressive than Sullinger’s.

http://www.sportsgrid.com/nba/nba-draft-combine-results/

Ainge gambled that he was a productive player at OSU, and in some ways he is a productive pro, but he is flawed in other ways as well.

I think Dallas pulled a fast one on us with Wright,  but we got a late pick with it.  I doubt any one wants Nelson but Crowder would be a nice bench guy for years to come.

[littleteapot]

I would like to see Wright start with Zeller to see if we should keep Wright instead.

Yeah we'll definitely see that while our team scores 0 points.

[tarheelsxxiii]

PER loves big guys with high shooting percentages...it's one of that metric's most obvious flaws. Speights is at 23, Gobert 22, Tyler Zeller at 21, Mason Plumlee and Nurkic at 19...

In a league stacked at PG and bereft of talent at C, PER ranks 17 C's with a PER>19...and only 11 PGs with a PER>19.

That's really helpful, thanks.

[CapnDunks]

If Sullinger somehow got in shape and reached his full potential I think he could be the 4th best player on a contender. I don't think Wright is superior to Sullinger on Defense aside from shotblocking. I think it's been so long since the C's had a young shot blocker on the team that it's easy to get high on a good backup 4. Which is all Wright is. He's also expiring. People's inability to understand how that affects players value is extremely frustrating. cough Rondo cough

He does have a knack for rebounds and great hands.  But athletic he will always be challenged, I doubt getting in shape would help his footspeed and jumping more than a little.  These things can be improved but a lot of it is innate, and it takes something called a work ethic to change it.

NBA COMBINE RESULTS: No step vertical - 29.5. Maximum vertical - 31. Bench Press - 9. Agility - 12.77. Sprint - 3.81.

http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2012/6/29/3126741/nba-draft-2012-results-jared-sullinger-boston-celtics

here is a scouting report on Sullinger prior to the draft, so little has changed.

Weaknesses: Lacks the overall physical gifts of other top prospects in the draft class. Appears stuck in glue at times, particularly against long, athletic competition. His space-creating advantage and wide base are nullified. No elevation off the floor and severely limited explosion. Plays beneath the rim. Run the courts laboriously. Lateral quickness is poor- badly exposed in space and on pick and roll switches. Undersized for the center position, a shortcoming he does not make up for in length. Major concerns defensively against new breed, mobile NBA 4’s. Not an intimidating presence on the back line of a defense. Less than a blocked shot per game in conference play, and does not alter attempts either. Averaged more steals than blocks. Position defender. He’s overwhelmed by size, length and athleticism on both sides of the ball. The majority of his dominant efforts came against lesser competition and teams devoid of frontline size. His 5/19 performance in his final collegiate game against Kansas did not aid his draft standing. His body style will always be susceptible to weight issues. Can’t afford to rest on his laurels and be satisfied with current level of conditioning and agility if he wants to remain in the lottery.

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/jared-sullinger

and yet another

Jared Sullinger

Despite significant improvement, Sullinger still had 10.7% body fat. That’s not DeMarcus Cousins or Dexter Pittman level, but he should probably order the medium next time.

His 31-inch max vertical was sixth-worst, but his 7’1? wingspan gives him a solid max vertical reach. And the dude is sloooooow. Like, Peyton Manning slow. He was dead-last in lane agility, with the same time as the laterally-challenged Brook Lopez and JaVale McGee. He was also dead last in sprints. And despite all the talk about his overwhelming strength, his nine bench-press repetitions weren’t overly impressive.

Sullinger also refuted my sneaking suspicion that he’s a dead ringer for Kevin Love athletically, as Love’s combine numbers were much more impressive than Sullinger’s.

http://www.sportsgrid.com/nba/nba-draft-combine-results/

Ainge gambled that he was a productive player at OSU, and in some ways he is a productive pro, but he is flawed in other ways as well.

I think Dallas pulled a fast one on us with Wright,  but we got a late pick with it.  I doubt any one wants Nelson but Crowder would be a nice bench guy for years to come.

All good points and I agree mostly. I don't think his weak pressing negates the fact that he looks strong on the court. I still think shedding 30 pounds or so could make a substantial improvement. He doesn't need to become a great athlete in order to be a much better player.

Also, it's been posted on CB before but: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7Nlrpxo390

[Snakehead]

Wright is here to be traded.  I think he can play but we got him (I think clearly) to try to flip him this year.  I'm sure we wanted to trade him to the Cavs, and now we'll see what happens.

[Fred Roberts]

A 7-footer who can dunk is always going to look great (and have a great PER) with Dirk. Playing with this team he won't be as efficient.

He strikes me as the type of player who can thrive in a complimentary role in a certain type of environment (like the one he had in Dallas). There's not enough for him to play off of on the Celtics and he's not capable of creating on his own, so it doesn't seem like a natural fit.

[Rosco917]

If Sullinger somehow got in shape and reached his full potential I think he could be the 4th best player on a contender. I don't think Wright is superior to Sullinger on Defense aside from shotblocking. I think it's been so long since the C's had a young shot blocker on the team that it's easy to get high on a good backup 4. Which is all Wright is. He's also expiring. People's inability to understand how that affects players value is extremely frustrating. cough Rondo cough

He does have a knack for rebounds and great hands.  But athletic he will always be challenged, I doubt getting in shape would help his footspeed and jumping more than a little.  These things can be improved but a lot of it is innate, and it takes something called a work ethic to change it.

NBA COMBINE RESULTS: No step vertical - 29.5. Maximum vertical - 31. Bench Press - 9. Agility - 12.77. Sprint - 3.81.

http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2012/6/29/3126741/nba-draft-2012-results-jared-sullinger-boston-celtics

here is a scouting report on Sullinger prior to the draft, so little has changed.

Weaknesses: Lacks the overall physical gifts of other top prospects in the draft class. Appears stuck in glue at times, particularly against long, athletic competition. His space-creating advantage and wide base are nullified. No elevation off the floor and severely limited explosion. Plays beneath the rim. Run the courts laboriously. Lateral quickness is poor- badly exposed in space and on pick and roll switches. Undersized for the center position, a shortcoming he does not make up for in length. Major concerns defensively against new breed, mobile NBA 4’s. Not an intimidating presence on the back line of a defense. Less than a blocked shot per game in conference play, and does not alter attempts either. Averaged more steals than blocks. Position defender. He’s overwhelmed by size, length and athleticism on both sides of the ball. The majority of his dominant efforts came against lesser competition and teams devoid of frontline size. His 5/19 performance in his final collegiate game against Kansas did not aid his draft standing. His body style will always be susceptible to weight issues. Can’t afford to rest on his laurels and be satisfied with current level of conditioning and agility if he wants to remain in the lottery.

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/jared-sullinger




Thanks for the

and yet another

Jared Sullinger

Despite significant improvement, Sullinger still had 10.7% body fat. That’s not DeMarcus Cousins or Dexter Pittman level, but he should probably order the medium next time.

His 31-inch max vertical was sixth-worst, but his 7’1? wingspan gives him a solid max vertical reach. And the dude is sloooooow. Like, Peyton Manning slow. He was dead-last in lane agility, with the same time as the laterally-challenged Brook Lopez and JaVale McGee. He was also dead last in sprints. And despite all the talk about his overwhelming strength, his nine bench-press repetitions weren’t overly impressive.

Sullinger also refuted my sneaking suspicion that he’s a dead ringer for Kevin Love athletically, as Love’s combine numbers were much more impressive than Sullinger’s.

http://www.sportsgrid.com/nba/nba-draft-combine-results/

Ainge gambled that he was a productive player at OSU, and in some ways he is a productive pro, but he is flawed in other ways as well.

I think Dallas pulled a fast one on us with Wright,  but we got a late pick with it.  I doubt any one wants Nelson but Crowder would be a nice bench guy for years to come.

All good points and I agree mostly. I don't think his weak pressing negates the fact that he looks strong on the court. I still think shedding 30 pounds or so could make a substantial improvement. He doesn't need to become a great athlete in order to be a much better player.

Also, it's been posted on CB before but: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7Nlrpxo390

 Thanks for the factual research, this was true then and it's certainly true now.
 
If you did the same research and post for KO it would be very similar. If these two players are your choice for a championship build, you better have one heck of a defensive minded center in place to coverup there short comings.
This is the reason I thought Wright, (or a similar player) was worth a real good look. His type of game completes the teams power forward position, much better than two players with the same skill set. 

[tarheelsxxiii]

A 7-footer who can dunk is always going to look great (and have a great PER) with Dirk. Playing with this team he won't be as efficient.

He strikes me as the type of player who can thrive in a complimentary role in a certain type of environment (like the one he had in Dallas). There's not enough for him to play off of on the Celtics and he's not capable of creating on his own, so it doesn't seem like a natural fit.

Looks like it, so far. But I'd like to see him get more reps to have a better sense. He looked really solid in the few P&Rs I've seen. Rolls well, finishes well.

[vinnie]

Shot blocking is hardly the end all be all of defense for a big. Not to say that Wright's a bad defender (he isn't).

Wright is absolutely not a good defender. And Chris22, blocking shots is excellent, but being able to effectively guard bigs consistently is more important. He is too frail to do that.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-stats/wp/2014/05/02/why-cant-the-mavericks-brandan-wright-get-more-playing-time/

[SHAQATTACK]

Frankly he is no where near as polished as Zeller  . From what little I ve seen . 

Maybe he can jump out of the gym , but can he stand in the paint and beat and bang like Zellar has for 30 minutes against the likes of Howard , Gasol and such .

We need BIG BIG centers ......like Drummond , Davis , Gasol, Duncan ......big men ......he looks like another power forward to me .  Redundant

[GetLucky]

It's been so long since the Celtics have had a long, athletic big man that we as fans seem to have forgotten the pitfalls that they usually come with.

[Surferdad]

Frankly he is no where near as polished as Zeller  . From what little I ve seen . 

Maybe he can jump out of the gym , but can he stand in the paint and beat and bang like Zellar has for 30 minutes against the likes of Howard , Gasol and such .

We need BIG BIG centers ......like Drummond , Davis , Gasol, Duncan ......big men ......he looks like another power forward to me .  Redundant

The guy has been in the league for what, like 7 years?  He is who he is.  Really was the throw-in piece in the Rondo deal. At least Crowder has some upside.

[tarheelsxxiii]

So is the consensus that my expectations of him were too high? I just expected more, but also don't feel like I've seen enough to make an opinion either way. Kinda frustrating. Must be a reason for it, though.