9 things to know about the Jared Sullinger signing

Each year, after the initial madness of free agency dies down and the sobering reality of committing $64 million to Timofey Mozgov sets in, there are always a few decent players who get overlooked and end up empty-handed.

That’s where smart teams with limited cap room like the Toronto Raptors can cash in on a bargain.

Last year the Raptors grabbed Bismack Biyombo for a discount. This time around it’s Jared Sullinger, a percently decent borderline starting power forward who’s only 24 — there’s no good reason why he went untouched while iffy backups like Ian Mahinmi inked lucrative multi-year deals.

Sullinger couldn’t land a rich raise so he signed a one-year, $5.6-million contract to play for the Raptors. It’s a deal that made sense for both sides — the Raptors needed a quality third big, and Sullinger needed minutes on a good team to showcase his talents.

Editor’s note: The handsomest Raptors blogger west of Bathurst named Murphy reminded me that Sullinger’s agent David Falk made claims that Sullinger turned down $10 million per year offers. Falk said Sullinger wanted the best fit for himself, and that his client is a $20 million per year player. Is all this conjecture and posturing from an agent? Decide for yourself — Falk’s comments are linked here.

This post could pretty much end right here. That’s all anyone needs to know about this minor move. But fuck it, since it’s the offseason, here’s a needlessly exhaustive list of things to know about Sullinger.

1. Sullinger is a pretty much a better version of Scola

Luis Scola did exactly what was expected of him last season, which is why I regret ragging on him so much. Scola was a consummate professional, he never complained about his role, he kept the offense moving, and he chipped in with some occasional bursts scoring.

But, as detailed to the point of rudeness on this site, Scola was not a productive player. He completely ran out of gas after the All-Star break and he was banished from the rotation in the playoffs (not a moment too soon.) To make things worse, Scola was inexplicably partnered with Jonas Valanciunas which formed the slowest frontcourt in the league and brought down both their games.

Regardless, this section isn’t about Scola. It’s about how Sullinger is a similar player to Scola while being more effective in almost every regard.

Like his predecessor, Sullinger doesn’t excel at any one aspect, but remains effective by doing a bit of everything on offense.

Sullinger is a capable — and certainly willing — pick-and-pop player, he can facilitate the offense from the high post, he loves crashing in for second-chance points, and when the team badly needs a basket, Sullinger can take matters into his own hands by either parking his bubble butt in the post or by driving to the hoop after a pump-fake from 18-feet out.

Just by virtue of being a decade younger, Sullinger is better at all those things than Scola was. He’s a craftier scorer, he’s a better rebounder, and he’s even a better passer. They play similar styles and even have similar weaknesses — Sullinger is just an upgraded version.

(The only aspect Scola has on Sullinger is the 3-point shooting. Two points about that. One, Sullinger should get cleaner looks playing alongside more talented creators than what Boston could provide. Two, Scola’s 3-point shooting wasn’t as impactful as most shooters would be since defenders would never respect Scola’s jumper, so his presence didn’t ever declutter the lane for Valanciunas to operate or for the Raptors’ guards to drive. Opponents won’t respect Sullinger’s shot either, but he makes up for the drop off in 3-point accuracy by being more effective in attacking closeouts.)

It’s important to be multi-faceted, because his frontcourt partners in Jonas Valanciunas, Patrick Patterson, and Jakob Poeltl/Bebe Noguiera are all somewhat limited in their functionality on offense. Scola didn’t excel in his role, but there’s no denying that he was a skilled, smart operator who kept the offense moving. Sullinger will be the same way, only better.

2. Most of Sullinger’s minutes will be played at center

Standing 6-foot-9 and limited by the cozy confines of a 8-foot-9 standing reach, Sullinger isn’t exactly an ideal center. But that’s where he’s best suited on this Raptors team.

Sullinger can play both power forward and center without a problem. His pick-and-pop game plays regardless of where he lines up in the frontcourt. But he’s a much better fit next to Patterson as compared to Valanciunas.

Patterson is a low-usage role player who struggles to rebound. Sullinger, by that token, is a trigger-happy post player who devours defensive rebounds (he grabbed 27 percent of available defensive rebounds last season — a rate higher than Zach Randolph and on-par with Karl-Anthony Towns.) Defensively, Patterson’s biggest strengths are mobility and tenacity, but he’s weak in the post and can’t defend centers. Sullinger is surprisingly nimble and can shuffle his feet, but he’s best off putting the “Chuck Haynes lean” on bulky post-up bigs. They compliment each other nicely.

Pairing Sullinger and Patterson together just makes sense.

That being said, Sullinger will probably still start next to Valanciunas. My guess is that Sullinger was promised a crack at the starting power forward spot, and the Dwane Casey seems fine with having a different closing five to his starting unit.

Having Sullinger together with Valanciunas is manageable, but their games overlap since they both thrive near the basket. It also makes for a questionable defensive pairing, and on offense, there might not be enough shots to go around if they had four shoot-first players in the starting lineup.

Assigning most of Sullinger’s minutes with the bench solves would make things a lot easier. He fills the void at backup center, while freeing up more minutes for Valanciunas to share time with a stretch four like Patterson or DeMarre Carroll.

3. Hitting the outlet

When was the last time the Raptors had a big man who could gather the rebound and fire an outlet pass like this?

Or this:

Or this:

Last season, the Raptors would often be late getting into their sets because their best rebounders were two players in Valanciunas and Biyombo who didn’t feel confident handling the ball. Those two would come down with the board, gather themselves, either climb to safety by lifting the ball over the heads, or wrap up tight with two hands tucked and elbows flared before finally delivering the ball to a guard. It would routinely shave 2–3 seconds off the shot clock.

Sullinger is a lot smoother. He’s not afraid to handle the rock and he loves to supply leakouts with crafty outlet passes. This would in theory allow the Raptors to play with a bit more pace on offense (whether they choose to is an entirely different question.)

Head coach Dwane Casey can also lean on Sullinger as a facilitator out of the high post. Sullinger has steadily improved his playmaking over his four years in the league and posted 10 games last season with five or more assists.

Here’s another snippet of Sully’s court vision.

4. Booty Brothers

Golden State has the Splash Brothers. Toronto has the Booty Brothers.

There’s no official stat for this, but Lowry and Sullinger have two of the biggest waist-to-hip ratios in the league. I’m sure of it. It’s going to be Caribana all season long in Toronto — opposing players are going to catch so many bubbles from the Booty Brothers.

We’re aware of what Lowry’s packing.

Here comes Sullinger, who credits genetics for his rebounding ability. “That’s a blessing my mom gave me; she gave me her booty, so I can give all the credit to my mama.”

Doughiness is funny, but spotty health isn’t. Sullinger carries an iffy injury history owing to his poor conditioning. Hopefully Sullinger’s right about “having a big enough ass” to absorb those bumps and bruises in the paint.

5. Weight loss might improve post-up game

It’s easy to forget, but Sullinger was once considered a huge prospect coming out of Ohio State. He was a dominant force on the low block and would have landed in the lottery had he not sustained a tricky back injury.

Like most rookies, Sullinger struggled with size and physicality when he first entered the league. He had difficulty scoring over bigger, stronger, and more disciplined defenders. Sullinger still put up buckets on account of sheer talent, but he wasn’t as effective at it.

It’s hard being a 6-foot-9 post-up player with no hops that plays exclusively below the rim. He’s forced to shoot difficult shots over bigger defenders if he wants to bang bodies down low.

That problem continues to this day. Sullinger shot 59.1 percent within three feet of the basket last season, a below-average mark for any big man, let alone someone who’s known for his interior scoring. He scored 0.82 points per post-up last season which ranked in the 47th percentile.

Shedding some pounds could come in handy. Sullinger probably won’t ever thrive as a back-to-the-basket option since he’s too short, but if he drops some weight, he can leverage his jumper and quick first step into a Paul Millsap-type of game. He’s got the talent.

6. The 25–20 game

When you drop 25–20 on prospective employer, it leaves quite an impression. A quick fact about Sullinger’s career night: He was the first Celtic to put up 25–20–4 since Larry Bird in 1987.

Amir Johnson was still talking about that game years later when he joined Sullinger in Boston.

7. Missed opportunities?

Don’t get this twisted: Grabbing Sullinger for $6 million is good value. He’s going to outproduce that price tag this season. But there’s an opportunity cost that comes with the signing.

First, could the Raptors have found someone better for cheaper? It’s hard to say. I wouldn’t have minded someone like Nene, who inked a 1-year, $3-million deal in Houston. Even cheaper still, Brandon Bass signed for the league minimum. That could have freed up enough cap room for someone like Dion Waiters at $3 million.

Second, there’s no long-term upside whatsoever with this signing. Best case scenario, Sullinger balls out, then gets a huge payday like Biyombo (that’s probably how the Raptors pitched it.) Then the Raptors are back in this position where they have no cap room and a big hole to fill in the frontcourt.

Third, by not using their cap room on a long-term deal, the Raptors missed a chance to inflate their salary. Had they signed a multi-year contract starting at $6 million, that figure can be left on the books going forward and moved for salary-matching purposes (see the Cavaliers as a lesson onthe benefits of keeping an inflated salary sheet.) That won’t be possible with a one-year deal with no options.

The Raptors got Sullinger on the cheap, anyway, so this isn’t a big deal. But it’s worthwhile to consider the alternatives.

8. A good teammate

Sullinger was a fan-favorite in Boston, not only for his talents, but also for his easy-going attitude. He could tell a joke and take one — and he’ll take plenty on account of his size.

He was always happy to support his teammates. Sullinger capped up for Avery Bradley for First Team All-Defense, he trumpeted Isaiah Thomas for an All-NBA spot, and he was good friends with everyone from Marcus Smart (they even shared a haircut), Jae Crowder, and Amir Johnson. Sully’s a good dude.

It can’t hurt to have another positive influence in the locker room. Sullinger takes over for Scola, Biyombo, and Johnson — three top-notch characters.

9. There’s a Jonathan Abrams story about Sullinger (and it’s excellent; you should read it)

Abrams often gets overlooked when it comes to the best sportswriters who cover basketball because he’s not a reporter whose name gets paraded across Twitter on a weekly basis.

But you can’t find anyone else who can write human interest piece quite like Abrams. His Grantland author page is a gold mine, and that’s where you can find his story on Sullinger’s friendship with Trey Burke.

Big Man, Little Man is a great read about two childhood friends with one dream. Abrams strolls down memory lane with both Burke and Sullinger’s parents to tell the story of how two kids from the same block made it to basketball’s biggest stage and the influences and experiences that helped get them there.

Here’s one tiny McNugget from the piece on how Sullinger frequented McDonald’s.

“I had a sixth-grader who was 6–4, 250 pounds. We would go to McDonald’s and Jared and him would get two double cheeseburgers, two chicken filets, two small fries, and a large drink. That’s what they got every time we go to McDonald’s. You go to McDonald’s two or three times a day. At the time, I wasn’t health-conscious. I was just trying to keep them happy because they were rebounding and killing inside.”
- Benji Burke (Trey’s dad)

We’ve all been there, Sully.