Former Buckeye Jared Sullinger Introduced As A Celtic

Sullinger will wear No. 7 in Boston

Last Thursday, former Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger was drafted 21st overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2012 NBA draft.

Earlier this week Sullinger was introduced to the Boston Celtics fanbase and team alongside fellow draftees Fab Melo and Kris Joseph. While his stock fell dramatically due to certain rumors of having issues with his back, Sullinger landed in a place that I think just might fit his talents very well.

Capable of playing both power forward and center, I expect the Celtics to use Sullinger for both positions when necessary. In the meantime, Sullinger will have some of the best players to learn from on what it takes to play at that level. 

If anyone knows about playing through injuries to a dominant level, Kevin Garnett has to be one of those people. The fire still burns for this guy even as his age tries to put it out. KG can be a big asset for Sullinger, learning the ins and outs of the NBA-style of play.

Sullinger averaged 17.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in two seasons at Ohio State.

Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest news, updates and opinions on Ohio State athletics.

Jared Sullinger Medically Flagged By NBA Doctors

What's the future for big Sully?

Chad Ford, the NBA insider from ESPN, is reporting that Ohio State big man Jared Sullinger has been medically flagged by NBA doctors who have expressed concern over the his back.

Sullinger, who is projected to be a lottery pick in the draft on June 28, underwent a series of medical tests at the draft combine a week ago.

A number of NBA team doctors have reviewed the information from the NBA and have told their front office staff that Sullinger's back issues could shorten his NBA career, and some have advised their teams not to draft him in the first round.

Sullinger's father, Satch Sullinger, said he believes the issue isn't that serious.

"He had a bulging area that was due to his hamstring and quads being so tight," Satch Sullinger told ESPN.com senior college basketball writer Andy Katz in a phone call Monday afternoon. "It pulled on his hip flexor and he's been taking care of it to loosen it. You can call it a red flag if you want. But it's tight hamstring and tight quads. He's been to doctors, he's doing yoga and deep tissue massage. The flexibility is helping take the pressure off the area.

"We've got nothing to hide. At this stage it's all about what they can't do. Jared is a skilled player. A two-time All-American. He can play."

Meanwhile, Ohio State's coach Thad Matta weighed in on the issue with: 

 "Jared is fine. He's moving better than I've ever seen him move."

Chad Ford currently has Sullinger being selected to go No. 10 in his 7th Mock Draft.

Much of the media has compared this to Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair who was also red flagged by the NBA when medical tests at the NBA combine revealed he didn't have ACL's in either knee. At the time Blair was projected as a late lottery pick. He slid all the way out of the first round.

Jared Sullinger Projects 6th And 7th In NBA Draft

Ready for the NBA

The 2012 NBA lottery took place last night, as the New Orleans Hornets grabbed the #1 spot. Representing Ohio, the Cavaliers got the 4th selection in this years draft. The Cavs also get to pick 24th in the first round.

As of now, Draft Express has former Ohio State star Jared Sullinger going 6th overall to the Portland Trail Blazers, while Chad Ford at ESPN has Sully going 7th overall to the Golden State Warriors. Meanwhile, William Buford is projected by Draft Express to go 22nd in the second round (52nd overall) to the Golden State Warriors.

Here's Draft Express's scouting on Sullinger:

"Sullinger continues to see the majority of his offense with his back to the basket this season, where's he's one of the most dangerous players in college basketball. He works extremely hard to establish deep position inside with his strong lower body and low center of gravity, drawing plenty of fouls by simply forcing opponents to try and contain him in the paint.

Patient, mature and extremely polished in the post, Sullinger backs players down with brute force and has excellent footwork, being capable of finishing with a jump-hook or spinning into a smooth turnaround jumper. He rarely finishes plays above the rim, usually using his excellent touch to finish plays with his skill-level rather than sheer explosiveness. This is what differentiates him from other top-10 candidate big men such as Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond or Thomas Robinson.

His soft hands allow him to catch most anything that's thrown his way, making him an ideal (and very rare) target to build a half-court offense around. While not the most prolific passer at this stage, Sullinger shows good vision passing out of double teams, turns the ball over at an extremely low rate and rarely forces up bad shots, which only adds to his to his terrific scoring efficiency."

Now Draft Express on William Buford: 

"Measured at 6'5 with a 6'10 wingspan and a solid 209-pound frame, Buford definitely looks the part of a NBA wing player. Though he has improved his frame considerably since his junior season, he remains just an average athlete by NBA standards in terms of his first step, overall quickness and the explosiveness he displays around the basket.

While Buford's skill set remains largely the same as what we described in our previous report, his role in Ohio State's offense has changed. He's being asked to handle the ball in transition and act as more of a facilitator than he was in years past, which has increased his usage, but hurting his efficiency in the process.

Much of this drop in production has to do with his shooting woes outside of the arc –he's converting just 36.4% of his 3-point attempts as a senior as opposed to 44.2% as a junior—as in the absence of Jon Diebler and David Lighty he hasn't had as many open looks spotting up outside the arc. According to Synergy Sports Technology, he's taking more shots this year with a hand in his face than he did last season, and knocking them down at a much lower rate. He's also not making his open looks at quite the same rate, even if he still has plenty of time to revert to the mean as the season moves on.

His shooting mechanics, for the most part, are excellent, despite his lack of elevation and a somewhat slow release, but he has struggled mightily to convert them consistently. His worst shooting nights have come against teams with excellent perimeter defenders, as the likes of Victor Oladipo, Brandon Paul, Travis Releford and others have been able to key in on him far more than they were probably able to last season.

Buford's struggles creating efficient offense have validated the concerns about his average athletic ability and his likelihood of becoming a shooting specialist at best at the NBA level. With that said, it is wise to consider his body of work when evaluating his perimeter shooting ability, as other players have shown in the past that it's not uncommon for a player's efficiency to decrease with a more pronounced role."

Ohio State's Jared Sullinger Declares For NBA Draft

Sullinger had many great moments to remember

After guiding Ohio State to the Final Four, two-time All-American forward Jared Sullinger figured he might as well see what he could do for an NBA team.

The 6-foot-9 sophomore announced on Wednesday he is giving up his final two seasons with the Buckeyes to make himself available for the NBA draft in June. Most projections have him going in the top 10.

"Going to the Final Four with a team that many people said we weren't good enough, weren't strong enough, weren't mentally tough enough, and still being able to get to the Final Four with all the ups and downs we had, I think that was tremendous for this basketball team," Sullinger said, flanked by his parents and coach Thad Matta. "Once we got to the Final Four, we were trying to win it. But unfortunately, we fell short. I feel at peace with the decision I'm making."

The Buckeyes lost to Kansas 64-62 in the national semifinals on Saturday.

Sullinger averaged 17.5 points and 9.2 rebounds a game while shooting 52 percent from the field, 77 percent at the line and 40 percent on 3-pointers while leading the Buckeyes to a 31-8 record and a Final Four berth. He was 63-10 as a starter.

"I've always said he's one of the most intellectual players I've ever coached," Matta said. "He came in that way as a freshman. The thing is that people don't know he studies the game. Not only the college game, but the NBA game. He can tell you a lot about a lot of NBA issues. For him, the timing is definitely right."

Sullinger's father, Satch, was his coach at national power Northland High School in Columbus. He believed the youngest of his three sons, all of whom played Division I basketball, had the ability to play in the NBA. But he also knew he wasn't ready a year ago when Jared was considered a top-five pick.

"The skill set's always been there. But last year, at this time, I wasn't comfortable as a parent with the option of him possibly going to the NBA," Satch Sullinger said. "Jared's had it pretty easy in basketball, he's been relatively injury free. This year I watched the peaks and valleys and I watched him mature. There's only one way to get experience and that's by being inexperienced in a situation. I watched him be immature in certain things and work his way out of it. I saw that consistency start to come back during the end of the season run all the way through the Final Four."

Basketball Buckeyes Look For Their Chance Tonight In Draft

Can they transition into the NBA?

David Lighty and Jon Diebler were huge contributors in the NCAA tournament run the last 2 years. While they did not reach their goals, they certainly made Buckeye Nation proud by always giving it their best and never giving up. The leadership of these two were remarkable. Lighty will most likely be drafted in the second round, and there are many possibilities as to where he could end up.


"Lighty should now play the role typically held by seniors in the NBA Draft -- the picks teams need to fill out rosters. During the four drafts of Lighty's college career, there were only 22 seniors taken in the first round, but 57 selected in the second round. The second round Thursday should include well-known seniors such as Cleveland State's Norris Cole, Duke's Nolan Smith, Wisconsin's Jon Leuer, Purdue's JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore, Illinois' Demetri McCamey and Notre Dame's Ben Hansbrough."


While that may be, Buckeye fans certainly know that teams pick up Lighty and Diebler will have some serious steals. Diebler was a machine from the 3 point line, but couldn't do much else, so he might be a small role player in certain situations. 


When I think of David Lighty, I think of superb defensive ability, with a knack for hitting the shot that the team needs. He reminds me of Ron Artest when he plays, both physical and smart, and can really be good player in the NBA.

Your POW.

We haven't done a POW in awhile here at ITS, so let's get back into the mix. Last night, Evan Turner was selected 2nd overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Draft. Turner had given hints to it a couple days before saying that a 76ers' fan came up to him congratulating him. I would like to say congratulations as well to Turner. He was one of the best to suit up in the Buckeye uniform.

Evan Turner will go 2nd in the NBA draft.

It's pretty much official that Evan Turner will not go #1 in the NBA draft later this month. I know this for sure because he is not working out with the Washington Wizards because his agent thinks Philly is a better place for him to start his NBA career. Along with that, Turner himself was on Twitter saying things about Philly, and this one especially caught my eye. Of course, there is also the less direct one, which could be song lyrics. He's even going to get Philly cheesesteaks..with no cheese.

I think the best idea for who deserves the #1 pick was what Turner himself suggested awhile back, when he said he and John Wall should go 1 on 1 and whoever wins, thats who gets the top spot. Obviously he is confident in his ability, as he should be. So congratulations to Evan Turner on being the number 2 pick. None of this while your there. Please.