BOSTONBy all accounts, Jared Sullinger is still a rookie for the Boston Celtics.
But the way he handles himself on the floor, the way this veteran team finds itself leaning on him lately, rookies - let alone late first round pick rookies - are not supposed to become this integral a part of a title-chasing team like the Celtics this fast.
But Sullinger has been that good lately, delivering yet another strong performance in Boston's 103-91 win over Houston.
The 6-foot-9 burly forward came off the bench and scored 14 points to go with 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double.
"He played well," said former Celtics great Kevin McHale who now coaches the Houston Rockets. "I mean Sullinger came in and kind of bullied us a little bit in the first half, just his ability and willingness to push and shove around the basket got everybody under."
And while there still may be a scouting report or two out there that doesn't recognize his impact on the game, his teammates know all too well what he's capable of doing which is why his play of late comes as no surprise.
"Jared goes out there and does his job," said C's guard Avery Bradley. "Jared's going to get offensive rebounds, he's going to play hard, he's going to defend. He just goes out there and competes."
Boston Celtics
C's guard Rajon Rondo echoed similar comments about Sullinger.
"He's playing good," Rondo said. "I said a joke to him; once he get a double-double, he's going to foul out."
So what did Sullinger do on Friday?
Tallied a double-double moments before - you guessed it - fouling out.
Regardless, that couldn't dampen the mood inside the C's locker room or the excitement that Sullinger's play has brought to this team, this fan base.
It was actually quite fitting that he foul out tonight after tallying a double-double, with fans serenading him with applause as he went to the C's bench for good with 59.6 seconds to play.
Watching Sullinger just work over Houston's big men is a reminder of why him plummeting to the Celtics at No. 21 is indeed one of those shake-your-head kind of moments that many GMs will regret.
There were concerns about his back that scared a number of teams off from selecting the former All-American at Ohio State earlier in the draft.
Among the teams to pass on him was Houston, which selected Royce White who has yet to play - and may never - for them this season.
"He's a good player," Boston's Doc Rivers said of Sullinger. "He's always been a good player and he was a bad player for one day, and that was the draft. Other than that he's always been a good player."
Paul Pierce has been most impressed with Sullinger's ability to sniff out rebounds, particularly on the offensive glass.
"It always seems like he's in the right place at the right time," said Pierce who had a team-high 23 points on Friday. "His instincts for the ball are really great, he has great hands and I think he's just getting more and more confidence as the season goes on."
Said Sullinger: "It's coming easier. It's just me in my comfort zone now."
Which is bad news for the rest of the NBA