Contract Year Will be Telling for Kelly Olynyk

A contract year could not have come at a better time for both Kelly Olynyk and the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics and Kelly Olynyk have found themselves in a great spot this season. With Olynyk entering free agency next season, his next contract could end up being the most important of his career. The Celtics are also in a position where they need an offensive presence to step up on the second unit. For the interest of his future contract, Olynyk should want to prove to the league that he can be more than just a mediocre center who can shoot threes. If Olynyk is able to show that, then the Celtics will be getting exactly what they need this season and if he does not, then the Celtics will feel a lot more comfortable moving on.

Olynyk may have a shot at the starting lineup, but he could be even better served playing good minutes with the second unit. Olynyk has never been a consistent starter in his career, but that has not stopped him from getting over 20 minutes per game, which is similar to some starters in the front court.

The problem for Olynyk on the starting unit if he will rarely be in a position to generate the offense. His shooting would hit a career high, however. Al Horford will give the Celtics much better floor spacing and Isaiah Thomas will have no problem feeding Olynyk form beyond the arc. Olynyk would be in a great position to improve but would rarely be a play maker on the starting unit.

On the second unit, however, he could be the top play maker. Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier will get the majority of the ball handling duty, but they have a long ways to go on offense and Olynyk has proven to be their most reliable three point shooter. In fact, Olynyk could be considered an elite shooter in the NBA if his position is taken into consideration.

Olynyk will be the offensive answer for the second unit more often then not, and that is where this season becomes so essential for Olynyk. He will be a commodity next year in free agency because of his shooting alone, but if he expands his game as a play maker, then Olynyk will be making himself a fortune in free agency.

Right now, Olynyk has developed his shot fake to a point where he can generate some offense through it. Defenses are forced to respect Olynyk as a shooter and getting players to bite on his shot fake can help create a lot of offense for himself. If he can keep defenses off balance, then he can start to attack in more ways that just three point shots.

Olynyk has spent his entire career playing a position that was made for the paint, and yet his only significant impact has been outside the paint. Olynyk may need to add to his frame and become more of a physical presence to become a real threat in the post, but with his age, the potential is certainly there. Olynyk has shot above 65% within three feet of the rim, and he can only benefit from getting to the free throw line more. Olynyk took just over 35% of his shots from within three feet, and that is an area he can certainly look to be more aggressive in.

Aggressiveness is the one thing that could benefit Olynyk in every way offensively on the Celtics. He has not been a hesitant shooter when the opportunity has presented itself, but Olynyk was never the player to directly attack the defenses and push the pace. Adapting that aggressiveness that is key for any main offensive option on the Celtics will give him more opportunities from all over the court, and that is a way he can start realizing the potential that can earn him a significant contract next season.

As it is with everyone on the Celtics, a lot will also hinge on what he does on the defensive end. Last season, Olynyk was not one of the bigger defensive contributors, but he wa able to hold his own and avoid being a liability. He did very little for rim protection and is a part of their problem on the boards, but he still managed to have a defensive box plus minus in the positive at 0.4. Olynyk has been benefiting from great defense around him, and that should not be changing with Smart and Rozier on the second unit.

Olynyk is doing enough on defense that if he can excel on offense then he will get all the minutes he needs. Unfortunately, he really is doing about the bare minimum. Especially on the Celtics, who know how much they need to improve their interior defense, he cannot revert back to being a liability on the defensive end.

If Olynyk can add to his frame and become more of a presence on the boards, then that would be a nice bonus, but his real potential stays entirely on the offensive end. The Celtics need Olynyk’s shooting in a big way and he is certainly one of the key pieces to getting out of the basement of the league when it comes to shooting, especially from three.

With Turner out of the picture, that shooting could get Olynyk a much higher usage rate and then he will be able to prove exactly what he is capable of doing. The Celtics have already found where Olynyk is best but they need someone to emerge on that second unit if they want to maintain how good it was last year.

Next: Where Does Jonas Jerebko Fit in the Celtics' Rotation

For Olynyk and the Celtics’ needs, this is the perfect year for Olynyk to break out and start realizing some of the high end potential that has made him one of the most important pieces on the team.