Kelly Olynyk has always been one of the Boston Celtics‘ most intriguing prospects. A 7 footer who can shoot threes is tough to find in the NBA but after his first two seasons there were a lot of questions as to whether or not Olynyk could play center in the NBA. Now, in his third year in the league, Olynyk is becoming exactly what the Celtics hoped when they drafted him.
Olynyk was once again given a starting nod, this time over Amir Johnson but that is nothing to get hung up on. First of all, there are personal circumstances that made Johnson a DNP on the game. Johnson has consistently been a starter this year but the offensive potential that Olynyk is bringing will have to make Stevens wonder if he should remain starting. For now, it should be expected that Olynyk will return to the main option off the bench.
Just last season, the Celtics’ most impactful player came off the bench. The way the Celtics use their rotation and depend on their second unit puts Olynyk is a position where his role will not be reduced because he is not a part of the starting unit. In fact, he may be able to have more of an impact with the second unit because more of the offense will run through him.
It is just his third season but Olynyk is having a career year in a big way and on both ends of the court. One of the biggest issues with Olynyk in the past was his inability to defend but he is quickly changing that narrative this season. Olynyk is far from elite but he has brought his defensive rating down to a mark of 100, which is right around some of the top defenders on the Celtics.
The Celtics are more comfortable playing Olynyk because of his defense but the reason he is breaking out this year is because of his offense. The Celtics remain one of the overall poorest three point shooting teams in the league but Olynyk is the biggest exception on the team. He leads the way with an incredible 43.7% form beyond the arc. Jonas Jerebko, who takes just 1.1 three pointers per game to Olynyk’s 3.1, is the only other player above 40%. Olynyk is in a league of his own when it comes to three point shooting on the Celtics but it goes beyond that.
Using the word elite is always a frustrating endeavour but Olynyk is well on his way to placing himself in the upper echelon of three point shooters in the NBA. Olynyk already finds himself with the 6th best three point percentage in the NBA but he is quickly rising. Olynyk had an incredibly slow start to the season but he has taken it to another level in the new year.
Since January first, Olynyk has been one of the three elite three point shooters in the NBA. The only players with a better three point percentage since the beginning of the new year are the overall top 2 in the league, J.J Reddick and Kawhi Leonard. After this recent scorching stretch by Olynyk, he is starting to exceed any expectations the team could have had for him this season.
All the signs continue to point in the direction of Olynyk becoming one of the best stretch fives in the NBA but there needs to be cautious optimism. First of all, Olynyk’s recent surge is largely due to a relatively small sample size. Consistency has been the biggest issue for the Celtics this year and now it is Olynyk’s turn to prove that this streak of being one of the best three point shooters in the NBA is no fluke.
Olynyk has not done enough to be considered an elite three point shooter at this point in his young career. Olynyk is keeping up with that company but the players he is around right now have maintained a high level of shooting for multiple seasons. This is the first time Olynyk has broken 40%. Olynyk has reached the kind of percentage that will cement him as a true key to the Celtics team but he still not has established a level of trust. Until Olynyk proves that this recent streak is maintainable for the prime of his career he will be below the top shooters in the league.
Olynyk’s elite potential as a three point shooter can also go beyond his amazing percentages. Olynyk is finding ways to use his three point shot to create easy shots for himself and his teammates. Olynyk is establishing a legitimate shot fake and that is leading to a lot more open drives to the rim and it is opening a lot more passing lanes.
Olynyk is taking fewer mid range shots this season and the extra volume has gone to both shots within three feet of the rim and shots beyond the arc. Olynyk’s shot selection has improved in a similar fashion as Crowder and it is no coincidence that they are the two most improved three point shooters on the team.
Olynyk is finally showing the Celtics the potential but that is just the beginning and that is something that could be lost in the matter of weeks. Just like one incredible month has catapulted Olynyk, one bad month could leave the Celtics wondering about his long term role on the team.
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The Celtics are figuring out a lot of things regarding their personnel and rotation this year and Olynyk has an opportunity to secure a long term spot. Olynyk is becoming the ideal center for Stevens’ offense. The Celtics’ youth makes it impossible to talk about them without bringing up their potential but Olynyk may be progressing beyond that point. He is showing the Celtics exactly what they need to see from him and now he has an opportunity to prove that he can maintain this level of play and if he accomplishes that he can take his place amongst the elite three point shooters.