Kelly Olynyk

Kelly Olynyk
PF/C, 7’0, 238lbs, 26 years old, 4 years of experience

Increasingly tenacious, somewhat awkward, strangely unafraid, often overwhelmed. Olynyk has his uses as a backup, occasionally manifest through offensive nights and often as something of a defensive annoy-ance. Olynyk will try anything, and his versatility as a backup stretch big has value to this and any team. That value however may not be realised; as a free agent in what projects to be Boston's last foreseeable sum-mer of cap room, Olynyk should be considered expendable, and if there is any value to be found via the sign-and-route, it should perhaps be taken.

Player Plan: Entering restricted free agency. Investigate sign-and-trade possibilities.

Kelly Olynyk - Save for the fouls and turnovers, Olynyk had a decent rookie season. He rebounded, played his high IQ game, shared the ball, and scored if not entirely efficiently on offense. He might not be fast enough to play the stretch four spot, and although he has bulked up, maybe he's never going to be big enough to play the five spot. Projecting a position for him defensively isn't easy. But he's plenty solid enough.

Kelly Olynyk

Olynyk's break out last season was huge, especially after sitting out a year. He put away the three, rather than trend further towards it, and became a highly effective mid-range and in scorer, with dribble-drive and post-up games, toughness and rebounding. In theory, he's a good long term pairing with Melo.

The turnaround can perhaps be partially cited to a rotation change. Canadian national team big man Kelly Olynyk - a good rebounder, hustler, extra passer and little things player - began to see less minutes in the front court. In his place came freshman Sam Dower, a monster of a man, with all of two moves to his credit - the trailer three (which he wildly underutilises) and the one drive to the middle lefty hook over the right shoulder (which he used on basically every possession, and which no one can stop, because he's just too big.) When combined with the offensive skill of finesse centre Robert Sacre - whose footwork is good, whose height is better, and whose turnaround jumpshot is similarly unblockable - Gonzaga could throw a scoring big man option on the floor at all times, which most of the West Coast Conference couldn't complete. Add Harris to that mix, and mismatches were opening up all over the show.