clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Slimmed down Sullinger

Appearing at a Hennigan elementary school for a basketball clinic with Walter McCarty, Jared Sullinger looked noticeably trimmer and more fit.

Heading into the off-season, weight loss wasn't necessarily one of Jared Sullinger's goals.  Instead, he wanted to focus on his conditioning and being able to give first quarter effort in the fourth.  Well, it seems to be working.  After having back surgery that cut his rookie campaign short, Sullinger entered last season in a disadvantageous position, but looks forward heading into October's training camp healthy and in shape:

"They shut me down," Sullinger said. "I couldn't play until (last) September. Forgoing basketball with contact, playing one-on-one, things like that, so I was kind of behind the eight ball. And I stayed behind the eight ball. This year, I'm kind of in front of the eight ball right now, hopefully hitting the corner pocket. So, we'll see."

Check out Sully's slimmer look:

The weight loss isn't exactly a predictor of future success, but if we're still going with the Kevin Love comparison, it wasn't until Love lost 25 pounds in the summer of the lockout season that his numbers really made a jump to star status and it's that kind of progression that the Celtics are looking for from the third year man.  Sully averaged 27.6 minutes per game last year and if he's in better shape, you can expect him in the mid-30's next season.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Celtics Blog Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of Boston Celtics news from Celtics Blog