Idea: Kelly Olynyk back for the MLE in the offseason?

[Moranis]

My problem with Olynyk is the same problem I have with tons of 7 footers(I know Kelly is 6'11" now due to barefoot measurements), lack of rebounding ability. I'm sorry, but if you are 7 feet tall or taller and can't average over 10 rebounds per 36 minutes or have a rebound percentage over 16%, I am not a fan of your game.

That said, if the Cs can land him for the taxpayer MLE and give him Semi's or Wagner/Kornet's roster slot, that would be a really nice upgrade.

His rebounding has improved since he left the Celtics and with more time on the court. Since joining the Rockets he’s averaging 30 min/game instead of his usual 18-22 min/game. As a result he’s averaging over 8 rebounds/game, or 9.72/36 minutes. That’s about as close to 10 as KO is ever going to get, but it’s just a slight round up to get there.

His TRB% even in Houston is just 14.2.  Other than his rookie year he has never been above 13.6 for a full season, which quite simply just isn't very good.  That said, KO is not an interior player either offensively or defensively so it isn't that surprising.  As a point of reference, both Williams and Thompson are above 20 this year and since Wagner joined the team he is at 18.   Heck last year Theis was at 14.6 on the year.  KO just isn't a rebounder, but he certainly has the size to be a lot better than he is.

[W8ting2McHale]

It seemed to me that KOs numbers as a starter for the Rockets are similar to what he put up his last year at Gonzaga and probably Team Canada as well. I looked, and they are.

Gonzaga: 26.5 minutes with 17.8 points and 7.3 rebounds.
Houston: 30.5 minutes with 17.6 points and 8.1 rebounds.

The story on Olynyk has always been that he is who he is, and he’s inconsistent game to game, but his per minute numbers have always stayed pretty consistent year to year.

Empty stats on a poor team and all, but when given minutes, a consistent role, and not deferring to everyone else, Kelly produces. Not at a star level of course, but those are decent numbers and in line with what he’s done since college. Not everyone is capable of putting up their college level stats in the NBA. Kelly has done all right for himself.