PF Jared Sullinger (2x 1st Team ALL B1G & All American, Anyang KGC, S.Korea)

[Onebuckfan]

Back and Foot problems helped limit his explosiveness..I saw him at Illinois last yearand thought he could play in the league..see Carlos Boozer and Elton Brand. Its time to get paid!

 

[npilolli]

I would love more than anything to see Sully come back for another season and I do believe that he has aspects of his game that he can tremendously improve on. That fact is that I believe there is about a 99% chance he leaves for the NBA because with the injury problems that have plagued him all year and the constant beating he takes, he is not going to risk another season in Columbus.

If he decides to come back I would be ecstatic but I would not fault him for deciding to turn pro!

Best of luck whatever your choice Sully!!

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

What does a year playing power forward accomplish for him in college? It isn't like football where a position switch means learning a new set of skills. About the only thing he'll do in the NBA that he didn't do a whole lot of is take 15 footers.

It will show NBA teas that he can indeed play power forward...no team is going to waste a high draft pick on him for a position he has never played.

 

[dragurd]

Mili this is the NBA they do a lot off odd things with draft picks.

 

[BengalsAndBucks]

It will show NBA teas that he can indeed play power forward...no team is going to waste a high draft pick on him for a position he has never played.

Just because he was the biggest guy on the floor for us doesn't mean he wasn't playing a power forwards game, he was just doing it against centers. He's going to do the same thing in the pros he has been doing in college.

 

[MaxBuck]

NBA GMs don't have any doubt about Jared's ability to play the 4.

 

[matcar]

NBA GMs don't have any doubt about Jared's ability to play the 4.

True.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

So you three are implying Matta's a dipshit for not playing him as a power forward?

 

[sparcboxbuck]

So you three are implying Matta's a dip[Mark May] for not playing him as a power forward?

I don't think that's the case at all. The implication is that we didn't have a true center that was ready to be on the floor with him and as a result Matta played the cards he had in his hand. End of story.

 

[NastyNatiBuck]

So you three are implying Matta's a dip[Mark May] for not playing him as a power forward?

I guess I don't understand your hangup on this. Correct me where I am wrong. It sounds like in your opinion, unless Jared has spend significant time playing the power forward position, NBA GM's will be reluctant to pick him for the position because of his lack of experience at the position.

First off, I think Jared has a far more polished offensive game than most of the PF's coming into the draft. I think the difference between C and PF is negligible. The only real difference is he will play against people more willing to face him up and take him off the dribble.

Secondly, the NBA draft is more about picking people with potential than about picking someone with experience. Just look at all the high schoolers and one-and-doners who have been drafted very high, not to mention foreign players who have played 3 or 4 years of organized basketball.

There are far more legitimate reasons than the one your are concerned about for Jared Sullinger to be drafted between 10-15. His lack of agility and explosiveness are far greater concerns to NBA teams than experience playing at the power forward position.

 

[seewhy14]

It will show NBA teas that he can indeed play power forward...no team is going to waste a high draft pick on him for a position he has never played.

DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors, Jordan Hill and Tristan Thompson all played the center position in college. All high draft picks and drafted to play power forward.

 

[matcar]

So you three are implying Matta's a dip[Mark May] for not playing him as a power forward?

Nope. That's a straw man. How Matta chooses to play him with his lineup has little to do with the NBA game. And the fact that Sully will play PF in league while playing center at tOSU won't matter to NBA teams.

 

[heisman]

You certainly can't ask Sully to guard Blake Griffin, Josh Smith, David Lee, etc.

 

[ImFrigginFly]

Matta's starting 5 consisted of a PG (Craft), a PG/SG combo guard (Smith), a SG (Buford), a SF/PF tweener (Thomas), and a true PF (Sullinger). Sullinger is as close to a prototypical PF as it gets, pretty much. Matta just had to put his best 5 guys out there. He was playing a PF role, just at a "Center" position. The only difference between this year and him playing in the NBA is that he won't see NEAR the double and triple teams in the league unless he starts absolutely dominating the NBA paint.

 

[Buckeye86]

Matta's starting 5 consisted of a PG (Craft), a PG/SG combo guard (Smith), a SG (Buford), a SF/PF tweener (Thomas), and a true PF (Sullinger). Sullinger is as close to a prototypical PF as it gets, pretty much. Matta just had to put his best 5 guys out there. He was playing a PF role, just at a "Center" position. The only difference between this year and him playing in the NBA is that he won't see NEAR the double and triple teams in the league unless he starts absolutely dominating the NBA paint.

Based on how much trouble he seemed to have in the paint against players that were tall and lanky, that seems unlikely in the NBA.