The Late-Career Resurgence Of Jared Sullinger

Back in 2012, Jared Sullinger declared for the NBA Draft. Fresh from a sophomore season in which he had averaged 17.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game - along with flashing more outside shooting range, thought to be important to offset the defensive limitations that his large but slow frame would pose at the game's highest level - the Ohio State Buckeyes big man did what was expected of him all season and left school early. Indeed, many had expected him to do so the previous year.

In the year in between, Sullinger was invariably listed as a projected top 10 pick. But when draft night itself finally came around, he plummeted. It was the storyline of the night, as he became the unfortunate victim of the annual "Expected High Pick Who Slides Down, Through And Out The Bottom The Lottery" tradition, eventually reprieved by being drafted 21st overall by the Boston Celtics.

The slide, while embarrassing, was not entirely unexpected; knowing that teams had rapidly cooled on him during the draft process, Sullinger declined what had once been an automatic green room invite, so as to avoid the shame of being the last guy sitting there. He knew it might happen. And it happened, loudly.

Whispers of the reason for that slide quickly spread. At the combine leading up to the draft, doctors determined that Sullinger ran the risk of back problems that could curtail his career, and, despite his agent and father's assurances that the situation was instead one born out of tight hamstrings that could be managed, the speculation and disseminated medical information led to him being perceived as a risk. His draft stock tanked, and only once out of the lottery - with the lowered expectations and competition for spots that come with that - did the Celtics pull the trigger.

By his own admission, Sullinger did not help himself. Needing to have a heightened work ethic to stay on top of the problem, and also to control his weight - a lifelong problem that was particularly important given the situation with his back - Sullinger succumbed to the obstinance of youth, and did not do the work required. Indeed, his rookie campaign ended prematurely through back surgery. It seemed as though the doomsayers were right.

Ultimately, Sullinger would wind up playing five years in the NBA, recording 172 starts across 269 games with the Celtics and Toronto Raptors and finishing with regular season averages of 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. It was, however, a short career. As was foreshadowed by the pre-draft doctors, Sullinger was done in the NBA within five years, barely playing in the fifth one at all.

However, "done in the NBA" is not the same as being done entirely.

As is often the case for former NBA bigs, Sullinger had a second career awaiting him in Asia. After the Raptors used his salary to trade with the Phoenix Suns for P.J. Tucker at the 2017 NBA Trade Deadline - and the Suns immediately waived him to end his NBA career - Sullinger popped up again six months later when he signed for the Shenzhen Aviators in the Chinese Basketball Association. And as is - or was - customary for former NBA players in China, enormous statistics awaited him there.

In his first CBA season, Sullinger averaged 30.1 points, 16.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game as his Shenzhen team finished in a respectable eighth place. He re-signed with the team to open 2018-19, too, and put in a further 27.3/13.0/4.0 across 15 games in the first two months of the season. Much as he still spoke of wanting to return to the NBA, Sullinger had at least landed on his feet in the far east, if his health held up.

But it didn't. Around Christmas 2018, Sullinger's health broke down again, and a further two years on the sidelines followed, not helped by the pandemic. It took until February 2021 for Sullinger to re-emerge once again; in a move perhaps influenced by China's particularly stringent lockdown policies that dissuaded many of the usual suspects from joining the CBA in the 2020/21 season, Sullinger instead went to South Korea, and joined Anyang KGC.

This would not a triumphant piece without a crescendo of an ending. And luckily, this is where it begins. Bolstered by Sullinger's 27.1 ppg, 12.3 rpg and 3.2 apg averages, Anyang won the title that season, and for the 2021/22 season, he returned to Shenzhen (by now known as the Shenzhen Leopards).

Due to the steady improvements in the development of homegrown players, as well as rule changes designed to limit every team's previous overwhelming reliance on foreign players, imports playing in the CBA are not putting in the video game numbers that they used to do 10-15 years ago. This is an important piece of context to bear in mind before telling you that last season, Sullinger averaged 22.0 points, 13.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.3 minutes per game last season. The scoring was the eighth-best in the league, the rebounds were comfortably the best, and even the assists were 33rd.

More striking than what Sullinger is doing is how he is doing it. 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. He never was a run-and-jump athlete and he never will be, but the new, svelte Sullinger is a considerably better player than the one that left the NBA six years ago.

Compare the video above of 2022/23 Jared Sullinger to any you can find of Jared Sullinger the Buckeye Big. They are not the same.

Perhaps the doctors were right that his back complaint would curtail his career at the top level. But aided by being willing and able to play in China, Sullinger is still earning millions for playing basketball really well.

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.