The Boston Celtics believe they have momentum heading into the 2015-16 season after ending last year on a positive note. While they did not have the draft or free agency run they were hoping for, the Celtics are looking strong in depth as they make their way through the preseason. Head coach Brad Stevens spent most of the offseason praising Jared Sullinger as being part of that improved group, but so far in training camp he is coming off the bench and is no longer a starter.
The Celtics are loaded with size. According to A.Sherron Blakely of CSN Northeast, the Celtics appear to favor David Lee and Tyler Zeller in the starting spots with Amir Johnson and Kelly Olynyk coming off the bench. That leaves both Sullinger and Jonas Jerebko on the edge. Blakely writes that they either become rotation players or risk getting released before the season begins. This is a change for Sullinger. The Boston Herald originally reported that the power forward was in talks of getting a contract extension before the season begins alongside Zeller. With his injury history, Sullinger would be wise to not take the risk and get paid now. However, right now he is out of the mix in terms of the rotation. Stevens admits that it is a struggle in trying to figure out the 10-man rotation.
"That's the challenge with our team right now," Stevens said, via ESPN.com. "All the guys that are in that mix have been great. Not only some of the time, but all the time. They've all been really good about it, they all understand it. It is what it is. I think we all realize that we have good players, up an down that group. I've said this before: Some of it is going to be determined on who fits well with other guys to make those other guys better, and that's a big part of this."
The bigs are not the only ones competing. Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart are battling it out to be the starter. Right now, Thomas has the better numbers than the second-year pro, but told the media he is not focused on getting the nod in the starting five. Last year Thomas thrived off the Sixth Man role. The Celtics could end up opting to keep him there.In terms of competition, Sullinger says he is not here to be pitted against his teammates. He told the media he simply wants to win.
"My biggest thing is I just want us to win. If that's me cutting back my minutes, that's me cutting back my minutes, but the ultimate goal is to win basketball games. That's the ultimate goal as a team, as a unit. Going forward, it's a long season, so you never know what's going to happen. You just have to stay ready," Sullinger said, via ESPN.com.