Posting Up with Sully: (Re)bound for Glory

Posting Up With Sully: (Re)bound for glory .


January 16, 2013



By Jared Sullinger



(Jared Sullinger has had his most impact early on as a rebounder. In today’s blog, the Celtics rookie discusses his approach to learning shooters, and how to track the trajectory of each shot.)

I’ve always been able to study shooters, and figure out the best way to get rebounds off their shots, on the offensive boards as well as in the defensive end.

It started when I was young because I didn’t want to run. I was too lazy. I was young, fat and lazy. Instead of someone getting the rebound, passing it out ahead and forcing me to get back on defense, I always tried to get offensive rebounds. That way they have to take the ball out. I would also tap the ball out of bounds. That way I had extra time to get back on defense, and not be as tired.

That was my way of learning people’s shots — when they shoot, how they shoot, and where the ball mostly comes off.

I played against E’Twaun Moore when he was at Purdue, but I also played with him in summer league last year, so I was able to put my familiarity with him to use. E’Twaun was either short or long, and right or middle. His shot had a sideways bounce. If he shot it directly in the middle it would stay in the lane, never come out of the lane. When he shot I would try to get the perfect angle, where I was inside the paint, maybe halfway on the side rim, halfway in the middle, and try to find a happy medium, depending on what part of the top of the key he shot from. That was from when we played together in summer league, but also when we played against each other in college. So I would do that defensively as well.

I was also able to play against and with JaJuan Johnson in the same way. JaJuan was a short shooter. He hardly ever had a shot that was long. It kind of bounced back in front of him, which was hard to offensive rebound, because you never wanted to interfere with his post moves or anything.

I know when (Rajon) Rondo is going to shoot and when he’s going to pass. He’s around the rim a lot, so when he shoots you have to kind of predict what side of the rim it’s going to go off of.

I’ve been able to learn about (Kevin Garnett’s) shooting this way, too. KG is short and long, directly in the middle, he rarely has a knuckleball. He’s incredibly accurate, so that if it’s short, it’s coming in the same spot as if it’s long.

You have to anticipate the rebound, and on top of that you have to anticipate when they’re going to shoot. Then you have to get the angle on where they’re shooting from.

(As told to Boston Herald Celtics reporter Mark Murphy)



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