Jared Sullinger spent last summer with John Lucas, the famed trainer and current head of player development for the Houston Rockets. The mission was to help improve Sullinger’s conditioning and shed some weight. In an interview with Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Lucas shared his concerns about Sullinger, who’s now reportedly headed to Toronto:
“I called him when the season ended, and he said, ‘Coach, I don’t know if I can do all that work again like that.’ And I said, ‘It’s the only way you’re going to make it.'”
“Jared still hasn’t figured out who he wants to be, and when he does, he’s going to take off,” Lucas said. “He’s still fighting anybody and everybody about who knows best. He’ll give in to a point, but he won’t… let… go. And if he’d ever just let go and accept what people are telling him, I think he can be great. I love his talent. I haven’t seen a lot of guys with his talent.
“He’s really highly talented. He’s got 3-point range. He played well. But I think the Celtics were concerned about his weight all year.”
“When he’s in shape, his talent can take over. But he gets out of shape, and then he gets tired and his shot gets blocked.”
Lucas suggests more possibilities linked to Sullinger’s potential issues:
“I really think he has some kind of food intolerance or some other thing. It’s not like he’s not conscious of it. I think he just has to investigate more what dictates his weight.
“I think there are more issues than just the weight,” said Lucas, whose own career was diminished by drug problems. “I think something’s going on, because he worked so much that he should have been ever further along than he was. Then when he stopped for a couple of days, his weight would go up. And he’s a guy who retains water.
As reported by Bulpett, the Celtics, who just made a promising front court upgrade with Al Horford, decided months ago that Sullinger wasn’t committed to being in shape. The team renounced his rights and made him an unrestricted free agent, leading to his reported one-year, $6 million deal with the Raptors.
Sullinger, 24, still has a high ceiling to pursue. His versatility is valuable, but could potentially be lethal if he had the consistent mobility. Judging from his ex-coach, his motivation and commitment to doing so need improving. What may or may not be in his favor going forward is a change of scenery.
