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The Boston Celtics expect Jared Sullinger to take an important step forward after his second season.

(AP Photo)

Earlier this season, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said he wanted all of the team's youngsters to play as often as possible over the offseason, hinting that rookie Kelly Olynyk would hone his skills once more in the summer league. Noting that he did not know NBA customs for somebody concluding his second season, Stevens stopped short of saying he wanted Jared Sullinger to join Olynyk.

According to the Boston Globe, Sullinger still does not know whether he will participate in the summer league. But he wants to. The power forward told the Globe's Gary Washburn that he will have a conversation with president of basketball operations Danny Ainge about whether the Celtics want him to compete, but plans to practice with his younger teammates in Orlando regardless.

This past July, Sullinger could not suit up for the summer Celtics during recovery from back surgery, but traveled to Florida anyway and served as a de facto assistant coach. Obviously, as Stevens noted weeks ago, the coming offseason will be important for Sullinger. He posted a nice first half of the season and has a handful of really big games since, but his shooting efficiency has plummeted as the campaign continues. He still needs plenty of work on his outside touch, but conditioning could have the biggest impact on whether he ever meets his potential.

Because of the aforementioned back recovery, Sullinger did not have much time to add to his game last summer. But he believes this offseason will be different (note: for Celtics fans, exciting quote on the way).

“It will be a totally different Jared Sullinger coming back next year,” Sullinger told the Globe. “Summertime is the time to figure out your game, you watch a lot of film. I have a lot of free time and with that free time, a lot of conditioning, a lot of weightlifting, and a lot of basketball.”

Amen.

P.S. - I don't mean to kill your buzz, but before the Summer of Improvement arrives, the Celtics still have to play out this season.