Blog

Don’t know about you, but I’m looking at Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo through the rosiest of rose-colored glasses.  I try to be objective and understand the flaws and limitations of each, but at the same time I can’t help but think about the best that both players bring to the table.  And every time I think about their potential I can’t help but get amped up.

Take Sullinger for example.  I know he’s smallish for his position, and that there are plenty of other players with more athleticism.  But the man knows how to play the game of basketball, and he has an offensive repertoire that’s only going to expand the longer he plays in this league.  And then there’s Melo.  Yeah, he’s offensively limited, and he’s considered a long-shot to become a top-shelf center in this league, but he can move his feet, defend and run the court.  And hey, he’s still in his basketball infancy.  He came to the game late, remember?  He’s still raw.  We really can’t bash on him until we figure out what his ceiling is, and I can’t help but think that there’s a lot of room for growth.

So I see a lot of hope and promise in these two.  No, they won’t be the saviours of the franchise.  But that doesn’t mean that these guys can’t grow into important pieces of a championship puzzle.  I believe that they can.  KG is going to love working with Sullinger.  The kid gets it.  And he has something to prove.  KG has always had something to prove.  They’ll connect, and in a big way.  Melo, we’ll see.  He’s still maturing, physically and mentally.  But there’s no question he’ll benefit from KG’s tutelege, torture and tantrums.

The fact that they’re young may help bring Rondo along as well – he may find himself feeling like a veteran leader and see some of himself in the rookies.  Maybe it will help loosen him up a bit.  Who knows.  Either way, Rondo will still benefit from having a pair of young, talented legs on the court with him.  Probably won’t see that a lot this season, but hopefully we’ll get to see a lot more of it down the road.