Boston Celtics have confidence in their 21st Draft Pick Jared Sullinger – NBA News
To the surprise of many analysts, the Boston Celtics picked Jared Sullinger as their 21st pick at the NBA Draft on Thursday night.
Sullinger had been red flagged the by the league doctors during the pre draft combine in Chicago. Sullinger apparently suffers back problems that would limit his career in the NBA.
The Celtics however had their own team of doctors do a rigorous check of Sullinger and they gave the team the green light to draft him.
“I played for 13 years with a bad back and was OK, and he will be, too. Our doctors checked him out, and they didn’t give him a red flag. When you don’t get red-flagged, it will pretty much be OK,” said Celtics coach and former
All Star guard Doc Rivers.
Sullinger is a graduate of Northland and a two time All American at Ohio State Buckeyes. The red flag came in June at the pre draft combine, where NBA team executives and coaches get to see draft prospects participate in drills
and exercises.
He was anticipated to be picked up among the top ten, but due to his ailment, many teams decided to back off.
However, the Celtics team management is quite confident about their pick;
“We were concerned and we did our research on the back issues and felt comfortable,” said Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge.
Jared Sullinger has also brushed aside the doubts regarding his back and overall health. When asked about the red flagging, he said that were “just doctors being doctors. They’re trying to cover their butt. That’s their job. If
they see something minor, they go to the extreme. I don’t blame them. That’s just life.”
Sullinger’s father Satch talked with WBNS radio on Friday and said that Sullinger’s agent David Falk had arranged for two doctors to review his back and both gave him the green light, saying that it was a manageable injury.
He did admit that Sullinger fell in the NBA Draft but was happy at where he landed, the Boston Celtics, one of the most storied franchises in the history of NBA.
The Celtics are yet to decide whether Sullinger will play in the Orlando and Las Vegas summer league or whether he will continue to undergo rehab to strengthen his back. He is scheduled to be in Boston on Monday for a news conference
along with Boston’s other picks in this year’s draft, Fab Melo and Kris Joseph.
“I’m ready to dominate, ready to play as hard as I can, ready to learn as fast as I can, and ready to win. That’s what it’s all about, winning,” added Sullinger.
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