The Celtics continue to reshape their frontcourt this offseason. They added Al Horford, retained Amir Johnson with a team option, and drafted Guerschon Yabusele who is having a good summer league experience so far. They still have decisions to make with Tyler Zeller and how to add rim protection and rebounding next to Horford, but Saturday they did decide not to retain Jared Sullinger, as SB Nation reports
Sullinger averaged 10.3 points and 8.3 rebounds last year, and played some of the best defense of his career. But in the end, he’s limited due to back issues and athleticism; the Hawks took great pains to expose him defensively in the playoffs, rendering him nearly unplayable.
Sullinger is still worth a flyer for another team in need of a fourth big. At age 24 he’s still coming into his own as a defender and has worked on adding a 3-pointer to mixed/underwhelming results (28 percent from deep last year). Sullinger played more than 75 games for the first time in his career, playing in 81 last season, which is a testament to his conditioning despite his back injuries.
He should land somewhere, but the Celtics are clearly trying to take big steps forward in their frontcourt with and in addition to Horford.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
