Evan Turner and Sully

[walker834]

For analytic or fantasy ranking fans Evan Turner is not your guy.  But as far as putting the ball in the basket and causing teams to pay attention to him with what he does creating for this team he is an extremely underrated and important cog on this team.  I think Turner is actually underrated that way.  We don't have a star creator outside of Isaiah. Turner is that.  Without Turner no way we are where we are this year.  He may be the 2nd best offensive player on this team next to Isaiah as far as creating offense.  Bradley is a shooter and defender.  Crowder is an all around offensive player and great defender. Smart is basically just a great defender.  Turner just can't shoot 3's and turns the ball over a bit.

Sully is kind of in the same boat.  These are undervalued players because of what they create. Smart does it with his defense but Sully creates offense in so many different ways that don't necesssarily show up. Their inconsistency and percentages basically skews their analytics but it's all about how they are utilized.

Our team is full of guys like this.  Sully and Turner are just the whipping boys this year for whatever reason when not one guy on this team is really more valuable than the other.

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

Sully's problem on the fantasy side of things is he can't stay on the court more than 25 minutes most games. Even then he's good for 8 rebs a game and a bunch of other stats. I know he has been on my fantasy team all season

[walker834]

True but that's what I mean though when they are  on the court they still do things that are better than anyone else. Our team has a lot of guys like that. It's all how they compliment each other and are utilized.  Stevens knows how to use these guys. I had Sully as well and won my fantasy league.  I didn't need him to be a superstar.  I won with a bunch of guys like that as well.

If Sully is playing 25 minutes combines with KO or Jerebko or whoever he's still giving us better production combined because of what he does when he's on the floor when he's out there.  KO is no slouch either in the minutes he gets.  Jerebko does a lot of stuff that doesn't show up on the stat sheet and is more the glue between all of them but combined we get the production.

All our guys do different things and compliment each other well and it's a team game anyways.

[walker834]

Turner and Sully are really underrated that way though because they have the ability to do certain things at an elite level. 

I consider Turner elite in certain ways.  No he isnt an all around superstar but there are certain things Turner does that are elite.

If you have other players doing the other things it doesn't matter. If we shoot the 3 at an elite level as a team,  who cares if Turner doesn't.  You just have the other guys doing that and Turner doesn't have to.

Analytics be [dang]ed unless you know how to actually implement them and understand how they fit into a team concept. Stats are meaningless that way anyways. It's more just what Turner is good at. You don't need stats to understand what a players talent is. You just have to have him play to his strengths and understand his talent. Analytics change that way anyways.

All I know is Turner and Sully are two of the main reasons we are where we are this year. Without them no way we are where we are at.  We need Sully's rebounds and Turners shot creation and shot making ability.   They are super important to this team.

[walker834]

Turner is basically what Jeff Green should have been. He plays with heart and creates and is a leader on and off the court. He's an elite talent that was drafted high who has flaws to his game but who cares.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Turner if we get a superstar talent or wing. I think we need a center though. Turner could be traded but I don't know. That's a decision Ainge is going to need to make.  That talent is going to have to develop as well and Turner is very good.

[Greyman]

Turner and Sully are two names who often come up as assets to be traded to help bring in a star or two. While I get this reasoning (some players from the current squad have to make way and these guys have value) I will be okay if both are part of the squad next season (and we have a new star or two).

I know some younger team members have potential but both these guys could be bench players on a championship team.

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

Turner is basically what Jeff Green should have been. He plays with heart and creates and is a leader on and off the court. He's an elite talent that was drafted high who has flaws to his game but who cares.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Turner if we get a superstar talent or wing. I think we need a center though. Turner could be traded but I don't know. That's a decision Ainge is going to need to make.  That talent is going to have to develop as well and Turner is very good.

Splitting hairs but Jae Crowder is what Jeff Green should have been. An athletic wing who aggressively leverages whatever speed or size mismatch he has to make positive things happen for the team

[gift]

I'm not sure I'd describe Jae Crowder as athletic by nba standards, but much more aggressive, tougher and smarter than Jeff Green. Turner is much more skilled overall than Jeff Green too, without that level of athleticism.

[billysan]

Turner is basically what Jeff Green should have been. He plays with heart and creates and is a leader on and off the court. He's an elite talent that was drafted high who has flaws to his game but who cares.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Turner if we get a superstar talent or wing. I think we need a center though. Turner could be traded but I don't know. That's a decision Ainge is going to need to make.  That talent is going to have to develop as well and Turner is very good.

Splitting hairs but Jae Crowder is what Jeff Green should have been. An athletic wing who aggressively leverages whatever speed or size mismatch he has to make positive things happen for the team

Agreed but what I think makes the Crowder Green comparison most accurate is their versa tile skill sets. Crowder just outperforms Green because he uses those skills with more aggression and a better outcome. Turner is more of a finesse guy IMO than either of them. He doesn't have or use brute strength and force, but gets the job done while being very versatile as well. Just in a different way.

[ssspence]

In other news: Sully's fat.

[billysan]

In other news: Sully's fat.

You know I like Sully, but I think somebody is gonna way overpay for him this summer. He better be ready to show he is worth it, coming into camp overweight and out of shape will be a mistake for him. (BBD) I hope if we re sign him he doesn't pull that because the haters will hate big  time. Better that happens elsewhere.

[PhoSita]

I think the Celts will be well served to let somebody else pay Turner and Sullinger $10-12 million a year for the next 3-4 seasons.

They've done some good work for this team, but taking a step forward means upgrading those spots. 

Need a better starting frontcourt, and need a scoring wing off the bench who can actually shoot outside 12-15 feet.

[hpantazo]

Let's put it this way: if we sign Horford and trade for Jimmy Butler this summer, do you still want to pay Turner and Sullinger the type of money they are going to get, to be backup players at best?

[billysan]

Let's put it this way: if we sign Horford and trade for Jimmy Butler this summer, do you still want to pay Turner and Sullinger the type of money they are going to get, to be backup players at best?

This is key. These 2 spots need serious upgrade and we need to go after it any way we can.  I'm  fine keeping them if we put some better players in front of them and the price is right to keep them.

[walker834]

I agree that Crowder is more like Green but the point being is that both are maximizing their current talent.   Turner has gotten much better at playing defense as well this year and getting in passing lanes which doesn't really show up. Sully is the same thing in how he is being utiized.  Regardless Stevens has done a great job putting Turner and Sully in position to play to their strengths and they have responded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lACTI6NwNvU

But anyways I'm just enjoying watching them play.  Sure if we get two studs there who play hard in all facets and don't have any weaknesses but don't any of you ever just enjoy what we have?  jeez.....  Turner is improving as a player.  Yes I get it's about the future but part of that is enjoying and evaluating and maximizing what we have and nothing is a given regardless.

Both players are valuable to us. It's like Hedu Turkglu to me.  The guy wasn't necessarily Kevin Durant but both these guys are important players for us.  They keep doing what they are they are going to improve as well.  Playing hard will do that. Turners upside is somewhat limited and so is Sully due to various factors but so is every player on this team right now.  Bradley, Smart, Crowder etc  may be better roleplayers if we get stud players but we don't know that.

Turner has really been the glue on this team this year. When the team struggles Turner is that guy who responds usually.  We have a lot of guys like that though. KO is that too.   We are in the top tier of nba teams for a reason and have room for growth too even with this current roster.

Turner and Sully deserve a lot of credit this year imo. Both players have been phenominal and had some great great moments this year and have really been more than what was asked of them. Both are ahead of Jeff Green in that regard of trimming the fat which is good because it shows this team is moving in the right direction.