Welcome back to NBA Fantasy Breakout – the 10-part series where I present you with the players who I think are going to have breakout fantasy seasons. Please go back and read #10 and #9.
#8 Jared Sullinger PF Boston Celtics
There has been a theme to the players in my fantasy breakout list up to this point; they are all headed into their second NBA season. As a huge Paul Pierce fan I watched a ton of Celtic’s games last season. I was continuously impressed with Jared Sullinger. He showed flashes of a player who seems to be a double-double machine in the making. Sullinger is, without a doubt, one of the worst athletes in the NBA. However, this lack of athleticism has not hindered his ability to excel regardless of the level he is playing at. He was a MacDonald’s high school All-American and then an AP first team All-American both years he was at Ohio State University. Below are his rookie season stats and his per 36 averages at his rookie rate:
Jared Sullinger 2012-13 Statistics
| G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
| 45 | 5 | 19.8 | 2.5 | 5.0 | 0.49 | 0.75 | 5.9 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 6 |
Jared Sullinger 2012-13 Per 36 Statistics
| G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
| 45 | 5 | 36.0 | 4.5 | 9.1 | 0.49 | 0.75 | 10.7 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 6.2 | 10.9 |
As with the first two breakout players in this series, playing time is of the highest importance for Sullinger. With the Celtics cleaning house this off-season and starting to rebuild there are a lot of potential minutes available. I am projecting him to play 30 minutes a game as the organization probably want to see what he’s got. There are a couple of other question marks besides playing time with Sullinger. Will he be able to stay healthy considering the back issues that held him to 45 games last year? If he is healthy, can he stay out of foul trouble? He averaged over 6 fouls per 36 minutes as a rookie, which equates to a lot of foul outs. Ultimately, the best thing about Sullinger’s game is that he won’t hurt you in any fantasy category. It also won’t be surprising to see his shooting range extended to the three point line for this upcoming year. As a heads up, Sullinger is going on average 140th in fantasy drafts. He is a player that you will be able to wait and take a flyer on late in your draft.
The #7 player will be up in the next couple days.
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References: www.basketball-reference.com
