Kelly Olynyk Will Be An Important Piece of Boston’s Playoff Run
By Liam O'Brien
Kelly Olynyk enjoyed one of his most efficient performances of the season in Wednesday night’s win over Indiana. The Celtics will need him to replicate this showing in the postseason should they expect to make a deep run.
Following the Boston Celtics‘ 109-100 trouncing of the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, point guard Isaiah Thomas remarked that “things are clicking” for a team that finds itself just a game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for first place in the Eastern Conference.
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A primary catalyst for Boston’s recent 5-1 stretch has been none other than the much-maligned Kelly Olynyk, who is emerging as a sixth man of sorts for a Celtics squad that has a 54% chance to finish the season as the first seed in the conference per FiveThirtyEight.
Against Indiana, Olynyk led all bench players in minutes (31), points (11), rebounds (8), assists (4), steals (1), plus-minus (+12), and field goal percentage (83 percent). While head coach Brad Stevens opted to provide minutes to just nine players, Olynyk’s numbers were still impressive nonetheless. He offered a spark to the Celtics offense and was able to create opportunities for himself when Thomas was off the floor, an impressive signal for a team that needs to find consistent production from their first few bench options heading into the postseason.
Once the playoffs roll around, it will be critical for Olynyk to retain the aggressiveness that he exhibited against the Pacers. From the moment that he entered the contest, the seven-footer shelled off any hesitation to shoot the ball, an encouraging sign for Stevens. The Celtics need Olynyk to be a catch-and-shoot threat if they wish to spread the floor for penetration. On Wednesday night, Olynyk set the table early, canning a three-pointer from the wing after setting a ball screen for point guard Marcus Smart in the final minute of the first quarter.
Considering Boston’s infatuation with the three-point shot, their ability to connect on three-pointers created off of ball screen opportunities will be a key factor in the playoffs. Much of their open looks will be fostered off of kick-outs by Thomas and Smart to wing players on the perimeter once they come off of a pick-and-roll or in pick-and-pop situations with Olynyk, Al Horford, Jae Crowder, and even Jaylen Brown.
When Olynyk commences his performances with confidence in his three-point shot, it forces the defense to close out on him in an ambitious manner as they are inclined to respect his three-point shot. Olynyk has the valuable ability to put the ball on the floor when the defense closes out with too much enthusiasm. He put this on display in the second quarter of Wednesday’s game. After Olynyk received the ball in the corner following an inbounds pass, Pacers forward Thaddeus Young sprinted out at him to take away the three-point shot.
Seeing a window of opportunity, Olynyk put the ball on the floor before taking a few hard dribbles into the paint, leaning into Young, and hitting a leaning jump shot off of his right foot. Olynyk’s unorthodox scoring ability is beneficial as it allows him to utilize his size to create chances from scratch when the Celtics are scrambling for an open shot late in the shot clock.
Olynyk also showcased his driving ability late in the third quarter. Once he caught a pass from Crowder within the three-point line in the corner, he blazed past a closing-out Lavoy Allen with a sharp head fake and a rapid first step to his left hand. After taking a power dribble into the paint, Olynyk avoided having his shot swatted by a rotating Al Jefferson by using the rim to shield himself on a right-handed reverse layup on the other side of the hoop.
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When Olynyk plays with conviction, his craftiness is apparent, which provides the Celtics with an important offensive wrinkle, one they will need heading into the playoffs.