Despite being a projected top-10 pick, former Boston Celtics big man Jared Sullinger was drafted 21st by the Celtics after slipping due to concerns about his back.
The concerns were well-founded. Throughout his NBA career, Sullinger struggled with his weight and ultimately required back surgery, leading to a short stint in the league.
After leaving the NBA, Sullinger found success playing in the Chinese Basketball Association. He signed with the Shenzhen Aviators and averaged 30.1 points, 16.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Unfortunately, his health issues resurfaced, and he spent two years on the sidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Then, in 2021, Sullinger joined South Korea’s Anyang KGC, leading it to a title. He later returned to the CBA with the Shenzhen Leopards, averaging 22 points, 13.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game despite limits on foreign players’ playing time.
Sullinger’s basketball renaissance was the subject of a new profile by Forbes’ Mark Deeks, who focuses on how the onetime Ohio State star changed his game.
While sports can be an escape, the human side of the tale matters too — and isn’t always the easiest aspect to cover. https://t.co/SBg9CY9u0z
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 1, 2023
“More striking than what Sullinger is doing is how he is doing it,” wrote Deeks. “The stocky interior player of his Celtics days is no more — now, following the Blake Griffin career path, he has reinvented himself as a ball-handling, shooting, skill-based face-up four man.”
“In the back nine of his career, Jared Sullinger has grown his hair, gone abroad, gotten trim, gotten healthy and gotten better. If he looks like someone else, it is because he is.”
Check out the full deep dive on Sully here.
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