Celtics center Kelly Olynyk has struggled with bouts of inconsistency throughout the past few weeks. What will it take for him to become a constant performer for Boston?
Just over a week ago, Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk was riding high. In a hotly contested 103-101 win over the Hawks on January 13th, he emerged for 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field and a Ray Allen-esque 4-of-5 shooting from deep while snagging eight rebounds. Three nights later, he translated his impressive performance to the home floor of TD Garden, nearly garnering his first double-double of the season.
In a 108-98 triumph against the Hornets, Olynyk tied his season-high with nine rebounds while remaining a superb shooting option, knocking down six of his nine field goal attempts while hitting both of his three-point looks. The boos from the Boston faithful that had cascaded upon Olynyk over a constant basis had ceased, with his abrupt improvement creating a buzz as to whether center Amir Johnson would be replaced in the starting lineup.
However, Olynyk’s time in the good graces of Celtics fans was short-lived. He followed up his showing against the Hornets with a dud in a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Knicks, earning just 13 minutes of playing time while snagging just four points and two rebounds on the night. Despite going 4-for-4 from the field with eight rebounds against the Blazers last Saturday, Olynyk drew the ire of head coach Brad Stevens by committing a costly quartet of turnovers. In 39 minutes over the last pair of contests, Olynyk has appeared as a shell of the form that he showcased just days ago.
In Tuesday’s loss to the Washington Wizards, Olynyk was repeatedly manhandled in the post while searching for defensive rebounds, swiping just a trio of boards while going just 3-for-8 from the field for six points. One night later against the Rockets, Olynyk struggled once again, receiving a plethora of jeers from the hometown supporters as he clunked his way to an 0-for-4 shooting night from long range while coughing up the rock on three separate occasions in just 17 minutes.
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Regardless of the manner in which he has fared over the past two games, Olynyk’s production has skyrocketed since the beginning of the month. In December, the Gonzaga product labored on the court, averaging just 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per night while shooting just 30.8 percent from three-point range and a porous 42.5 percent overall. For someone whose value rests in his ability to spread the floor as a shooting threat in the body of a seven-footer, Olynyk’s inability to knock down the open three-pointer limited his playing time as the month waned.
However, he has returned to reliable form from beyond the arc in January, upping his shooting percentage to a remarkable 54.4 percent in the process of converting on 41.4 percent of his three-point attempts. His scoring average has ballooned to 10 points per game to accompany the 5.4 boards that he is wrapping up each night. The increased potency on the shooting front has fed into his passing skills as well, as he is posting 2.5 assists per game in January as opposed to December’s 1.8 per outing.
Despite the statistical improvements, Olynyk still fields displays of tremendous insecurity on the floor, bouts of hesitating to pull the trigger when given a wide open three. Instead, Olynyk often falls into the trap of throwing a few meaningless pump fakes which fail to make a dent in the defensive front. The key to Olynyk’s ability to be effective within the Celtics rotation relies on him being aggressive immediately after being inserted into competition. Boston’s offensive sets are predicated on big men such as Olynyk becoming shooting threats in pick-and-pop situations. As soon as Olynyk enters into a game, he must be confident in his ability to convert from long range and let fly the first open look that he receives.
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In addition, receiving higher amounts of rest could factor into Olynyk’s production value. In games following two days of rest, Olynyk averages 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting a stellar 57.1 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three-point range. In games that occur after just a single day of rest, Olynyk’s averages plummet to just 8.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per night while he shoots 46.6 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three-point land.