Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

“A lot of people doubt me, and my family semi-doubt me, you kind of have a chip on your shoulder and you just want to prove everybody wrong,” he said.

“I’ve been going on my fourth year and things haven’t changed. People still say the same things about you. It’s been like that since high school. It’s been like that since college.

“I just keep chipping away and keep doing what I do.”

Celtics coach Brad Stevens has noticed Sullinger’s marked defensive improvement.

“I told him I think it’s the best defensively he’s played since I’ve been here,” Stevens said.

Globe: Sullinger pulling his weight with Celtics

“In order for me to get on the floor, I can do so many other things,” he said. “I’m defending better this year. I can still rebound. But the thing is, I have not been able to knock down a shot. Toward the end of preseason I felt like it was coming back, and that’s just all of the hard work I’ve been putting in this summer.”

Herald: Sullinger looks to Celtic moment

I’ve already touched on the Sullinger situation this young season, so I’ll simply recap that here by saying none of this should be all THAT surprising. Yes, he was on the outside looking in after the preseason… we all saw that. We all saw Brad Stevens use other guys who were much more effective and Sullinger seemed to struggle with that a bit.

But now we’re here, and Sullinger is playing Sullinger-type basketball. He’s playing seven fewer minutes per game than he has over the past couple of seasons, but the early advanced numbers support Sullinger’s output.

His Per 36 numbers show his scoring is level and his rebounding is better.

His Per 100 possession numbers show similarly level production and better overall shooting

His player efficiency rating is currently 18.6… up from last year’s 17.9 and his career average of 16.3. His true shooting percentage (.597) would be a career-high if maintained. His offensive and defensive ratings are above his career averages, and that defensive rating is 10 points better than his career average.

Bear in mind, the sample size is very low and one good or bad game can skew them all. But they do show he’s been playing pretty well so far.

Yes, it’s only been one week. But frankly, life would have been much easier if Sullinger had stayed on the outside looking in. Now he’s inside… and so are four other guys. We can try reading the tea leaves and say Tyler Zeller’s at most risk of losing minutes, but then Zeller could go out there tonight against Indiana and drop a double-double and thrust himself into this conversation again. Zeller’s not going anywhere just yet. 

Stevens reiterated that he’s not looking to make any lineup changes now, not with such a small sample size (three games) to work from.

But he acknowledges that Sullinger has played well, seemingly picking up where he left off in the preseason.

“He had a really good last two games of the preseason,” Stevens said. “Again, it’s still early. One of the things that we have to figure out, we have to create some separation in that depth chart, that rotation. As long as there’s a lot of evenness, it’s very difficult.”

There’s a lot of evenness. It is very difficult. There are 96 minutes available at the two frontcourt spots, and five guys who can stake more or less equal claim to those minutes. Amir Johnson (as we discussed on the latest Rainin’ J’s podcast) should be playing a lot more, so if we pencil him in for 30 minutes a game, that leaves four guys to split 66 minutes. The Celtics aren’t going to get very far with Sullinger, Lee, Zeller, and Kelly Olynyk playing 16 and a half minutes a game. Someone needs to step up and play so well he demands 25-30 minutes a game himself. And someone who probably deserves the minutes will have to watch from the bench.

Unless, of course, Danny Ainge makes a trade. In which case the problem will likely be solved. And if Brad Stevens goes to Ainge and says “this just ain’t working… no one is separating himself from the pack,” then maybe Ainge will feel compelled to start shopping someone around.

Until then… we wait.

Related links: MassLive: Without extension, Sullinger aims to prove doubters wrong

Page 2: No shit, Avery Bradley

Avery Bradley doesn’t hide from what’s been obvious through the team’s first three games of the 2015-16 season: Boston’s second-teamers are outplaying the first unit.

Heck, it’s happening in practice, too. But a starting 5 that features Bradley, Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, David Lee and Tyler Zeller is eager to snap out of a funk and Bradley believes the second unit can help that process.

“The good thing about practice, the second unit pushes us every single day,” said Bradley. “To be honest, some days they beat us. They own us right now. It helps us improve and we know what we need to get better at and that’s the best thing about it.”

ESPN Boston: Bradley: “second unit owns us right now”

This was supposed to be the epic battle of a defensive first five and the offensive second five. This was supposed to be a starting group that was feared by opponents for their ferocity and grit on the perimeter… that would create points by forcing turnovers.

Instead, it’s a starting unit that’s been ok defensively, with some spectacular hustle plays but meh overall team defense, but who still can’t score. Meanwhile the second unit and Isaiah Thomas has been the saving grace for this team. So it’s not a shock at all that the second unit owns the starters right now.

This why we’re wondering if the team should mix it up at all, or if we should let the starters figure it out.

It all starts with Marcus Smart, who is being asked as a second-year player to lead an offense. That’s a lot to ask, and maybe we shouldn’t be expecting instant returns. I want him to get to the line a lot, but so far he’s only going about three times a game.. up from two last year.

Speaking of which, Avery Bradley is only going to the line twice a game too. At this point, it’s time to accept that Bradley is a long jump shooter who is just never going to get to the basket much (even though he can do this… and this… and this ).

Anyway… the starters are still learning to play with one another, so that will take time. And with Thomas and Amir Johnson playing like they’ve been teammates since the womb, the second unit will have the edge no matter what in practice.

Related links: MassLive: Bradley admits bench beats starters in practice  |  Bradley: Second unit “owns” first unit right now

And Finally…

The assignments to Maine begin…

After practicing Tuesday with the Boston Celtics, rookie big man Jordan Mickey and second-year wing James Young were assigned to the team’s D-League affiliate in Maine.

The Red Claws regular season does not begin for another nine days, but Mickey and Young should practice with the team Wednesday while the Celtics visit the Indiana Pacers. The wisdom behind the move is presumably that D-League training camp reps should be more valuable than watching other people play basketball.

Right now RJ Hunter and Terry Rozier are being kept with the big boys. I’ve started the “give RJ Hunter Evan Turner’s minutes” campaign. I’m hoping Stevens’ hand is forced somehow… maybe Turner misses a team plane or eats some gas station sushi… and we at least get to see what Hunter can do. Rozier is probably around as insurance in case something happens to Smart. For all their depth, the Celtics do lack ball handlers (which is why Turner exists). Should Smart get hurt (or, ejected), the C’s could probably use Rozier at this point. Plus, Avery Bradley hurt his hand, so it might be a simple as keeping Rozier around to make sure Bradley is good to go.

That sucks because I think Rozier needs the reps. Maybe he’ll go back and forth a bit, but he’s the one guy who’s in that “close to NBA ready but really needs to keep playing to stay sharp” category. We’ll see how that pans out.

Related links: CSNNE: Celtics assign Mickey, Young to D League  |  WEEI: Celtics assign Young, Mickey to D-League

The rest of the links

CSNNE: Zeller on struggles: “I have to work my way out of it”  |  Stevens, Vogel friendship started on the playground  |  Bradley (sprained hand) hopes to play vs. Pacers  |  Globe: On the parquet ep. 2