Jared Sullinger rips Celtics (including himself) for rebounding issues
A lot of things went wrong in the Celtics’ 102-91 loss to the Pacers on Wednesday night. Boston shot a season-worst 16.7 percent (4 of 24) from 3-point range. Seven of the team’s 18 turnovers came in the final seven minutes of the game, as the Celtics squandered any chance of completing a late-game comeback.
All of those issues were factors in Boston’s latest setback, but Jared Sullinger was focused on a different failing after the game: rebounding. The power forward called out the entire team, including himself, to step up on the boards.
“It kind of boils down to the first 36 minutes,’’ Sullinger explained. “We didn’t rebound the basketball and they got a lot of open shots. We got guys going just because we didn’t rebound the basketball well. And I think that’s two games now we’ve played the Pacers and they kicked our ass on the offensive glass. We’ve just got to do better as a team.’’
The Pacers won the battle on the boards by a modest margin (41-36), but Sullinger’s larger point on the team’s recurring rebounding problem stands. After being a middle-of-the-road defensive rebounding team last year, the Celtics allowed nine or more offensive boards in all seven of their games this season.
Those inflated numbers are partially due to head coach Brad Stevens opting for small ball at times, but the same thing was done last year with fewer issues. Boston’s inability to protect the glass so far has them ranked a lowly 27th in the league in defensive rebounding rate. Opponents have taken advantage, scoring 14.3 second-chance points per game off those extra possessions.
Sullinger is averaging a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game. No other player on the roster is averaging more than five. His call for action was not targeted at the other bigs or guards, just the entire roster collectively.
“It’s a team thing,’’ Sullinger said of the rebounding issues. “I can’t say it’s Isaiah’s fault, it’s Avery’s fault. No, it’s a team thing. I mean, there are five guys out there playing basketball. We just have to have that grit and grind to understand there’s times where we’re small out there. For us to win basketball games we have to do the little things.’’
Sullinger added: “There were a lot of times where we had the ball, and as we’re bringing it down, somebody’s popping it out of our hands. Me included. We just have to be more aggressive. We have to understand to treat the ball like gold. And understand, don’t let nobody take your cookies.’’
The Celtics will get a chance to respond to Sullinger’s challenge on Friday night against one of the best teams in the East: the Atlanta Hawks.
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