Jared Sullinger Still Motivated by Slide in Draft

Jared Sullinger may not look to upset in the picture above from draft day in 2012, but make no mistake: the former Ohio State talisman is still miffed by his slide out of the lottery.

Questions about Sullinger's size and athletic ability, coupled with concerns about his back, were likely the causes. Yet, Sullinger isn't buying it. From MassLive.com:

“To me, it means everything,” he replied. “All the hard work. And also on top of that, being picked where I was picked, it was kind of a slap in the face towards me even though I had the back injury. But it’s a blessing.”

Will that slap in the face stick with Sullinger for a long time?

“A long time? For the rest of my career,” he said.

Athletes are known to use even the slightest of slights to fuel their motivation, and Sullinger is apparently no different. Personally, I would have been excited about merely being drafted... but then again, I'm a sad, pasty man with lead feet and jump-shot mechanics more broke than a man in a plasma donation center.