The thing everyone wants to talk about with the Boston Celtics this offseason is how deep their team is and while that is a great thing for the team as a whole it may hurt individual players. One of the players it may hurt the most is Jared Sullinger who can become a free agent next summer. Sullinger has been a productive player for the Celtics in his first three seasons but he may not have the opportunity to be as productive this year as he is likely to see his minutes trimmed, according to Scott Souza of the MetroWest Daily News.
Sullinger is eligible for a contract extension this offseason and although he and the Celtics have had talks it doesn't seem very likely they will agree on a deal before the November 2nd deadline. If an extension is not agreed upon then Sullinger would become a restricted free agent next summer and players want to enter free agency with their value as high as possible but that may not happen for Sullinger if he plays less minutes.
The 6 foot-9 forward is one of five frontcourt players who obviously warrant minutes so it will be interesting how Brad Stevens handles the playing time. David Lee and Amir Johnson are on big contracts so they are expected to start but after them it's Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Zeller for the backup minutes. Stevens has said that he only wants to use a ten man rotation this season but that may be hard to stick with when you consider all of the talent on this roster.
Sullinger has played about 27 minutes per game over the past two seasons and has averaged 13.3 points and just under eight rebounds. Sullinger has struggled with his conditioning and injuries in the past so he hasn't been able to be on the floor consistently and even when he was on the floor he couldn't play too many minutes. Many reports say that he is in great shape now and that he should be able to handle more minutes but they likely aren't coming.
The 23 year old former Ohio State Buckeye has had a great mindset about the situation saying the competition will only make the team better but he can't feel great about likely having his minutes reduced in a contract year. Sullinger has been an extremely productive player in his three year career (16.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per 36 minutes) so he likely warrants more minutes as long as he can handle it but the problem is you can say that about all five of the Celtics big men. Stevens has his work cut out for him in terms of dividing up the playing time but he is one of the best coaches in the NBA so he will more than likely figure it out.
