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BOSTON – Jared Sullinger has been rebounding at a torrid pace lately and it may be because of a secret genealogical weapon he possesses.
The Celtics big man corralled an astounding 36 rebounds during his last two games, and he believes being blessed in the booty department is what has enabled him to do so.
Sully tied a career high with 20 boards during a 111-93 win in New Orleans Monday night. He followed that up with a 16-rebound performance against Chicago Wednesday night, en route to a 105-100 C’s win at TD Garden.
Sullinger has been impressing Celtics coach Brad Stevens all season long with his rebounding efforts, but what has stuck out about these last two showings is the fact that the 6-foot-9 forward has been cleaning the glass efficiently versus taller opponents.
“He’s all over the glass and that’s against really long players,” said Stevens. “Anthony Davis (6-foot-10) and Omer [Asik] (7-foot) and [Alexis] Ajinca (7-foot-2) the other night, and they’ve got him by a few inches.”
It was more of the same from Sully against Chicago Wednesday night when he out-rebounded 7-footer Pau Gasol and 6-foot-10 Joakim Noah. Those are two elite veteran rebounders on the top rebounding team in the league.
Sullinger was asked after the game how he’s been able to outduel longer players on the glass lately, and his response triggered a few snickers among the media.
��My mom,” he replied. “That’s a blessing my mom gave me; she gave me her booty, so I can give all the credit to my mama.”
If that's the case, thank you, Barbara Sullinger.
That broad bottom is giving Sully a little extra padding to space himself from opponents. It’s a great tool to bump them out of the way as he positions himself under the hoop.
Sullinger’s rear end is also a big reason why he is corralling 21.1 percent of total rebounds while he’s on the court this season. That ranks him fourth in the league in that category among qualified players.
To take it one step further, Sully is grabbing 42.3 percent of his team’s total rebounds while he’s on the court, which places him behind only Detroit’s Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers. Sullinger's mark was at a whopping 56.3 percent over his last two games.
“Man, he’s not letting anybody else get any rebounds,” teammate Isaiah Thomas said with a laugh. “He’s just doing his job. He’s found his niche, and that’s making shots – give us what he gives us on offense – and get all the rebounds. And he’s doing a hell of a job with that.”
He certainly is, and he’s going at a pace to smash his previous career numbers.
Sullinger is averaging 13.3 rebounds per 36 minutes, which ranks him sixth among players who see at least 25 minutes of court time per night. He never averaged more than 10.7 boards per 36 minutes prior to this season.
Sully also entered this season with nine career performances of 15 rebounds or more. That was nine games out of a possible 177.
He has already produced five such efforts during just 21 games this season
Stevens does not believe that rebounding spike is because Sullinger’s skills have increased, but rather his ability to locate himself properly to enhance his probability of grabbing the ball off the rim.
“He’s really doing a good job of getting in position,” said Stevens, “and when the ball hits his hands, it sticks.”
Sullinger has also credited the rebounding improvement to the hard work he put in during the offseason to slim down and improve his conditioning.
Thankfully that rigorous routine did not deteriorate his derriere, because the Celtics need Sully to keep bumping and rumping opponents out of the way, so he can continue trumping them on the glass.