Poll: Yes or No start a role player in starting five

[Hoopvortex]

I understand he is no star ad isn't exactly beaming with upside, but he's a serviceable player who can guard multiple positions, can hit the open three with regularity, buys into the team system (accepts his role and doesn't try to be more then he is) and plays hard every single night.

Not a bad summary, on the whole. He's a worker who accepts his role might be the bottom line.

It would help his cause if he would make more of those open threes; Scott Morrison, who's the coach assigned to him, says that regular minutes would help with that - probably, but it works the other way as well.

The other obvious gap in his game is rebounding; if he's a swing/power forward/stretch 4 - which is where his opportunity lies, not in competing with Brohaytum for wing minutes - it would help him to get more defensive boards.

Last year the team was better rebounding with him on the floor (all of that was on the offensive end, they were slightly worse on the defensive end).

He was buried last season, mostly behind a healthy Marcus Morris, but there were some very encouraging signs in areas where he developed. I'll point to two of them: 1) finishing at the rim; and 2) team defense.

1) He went from .484 at the rim in his rookie year to a stellar .721 - did anyone in the league jump so far? He runs like a deer, so he gets some of that in transition; but the big difference was his finishing off the dribble. He's got a repertoire - goes baseline way under the backboard to use the rim to keep from getting blocked (an issue in his rookie season), and he can do that on either side of the basket; has nifty eurostep moves; with his strength, finishes through contact.

One good growth area for him would be making shots in the paint, when he can't get to the rim.

2) In his rookie season, he showed that he could stay in front of his man, and with his lower body strength could resist being moved off his spot. In year two he was getting more into his man's airspace; but I think that the big step forward was in knowing when to help and when not to. Helping one pass away was a fault in his rookie year when he was guarding off the ball, and he was much better at staying disciplined this past season. Small sample size for charges drawn, but that was an area of progress, and the "eye test" tells me that he was looking to do it.

You raise the burning question of his upside. I'm going to go with: "rotation player on a contender".

I agree with this regarding Olejeye compared to Grant Williams.  Ojeleye has played and looked good in playoff games.  Grant Williams has looked good in the summer league.

Good points, yes, let's keep this in perspective.

Having said that, Boston appears to be high on Grant Williams' game:

Celtics coach on Grant Williams: “Everyone loves Marcus (Smart), right? Because he’s a dog, right? Grant is a bigger Marcus. He just gets after it. He made a bunch of plays here in Vegas that a rookie shouldn’t be able to read. He’s smart and plays hard. That’s a combo that gets guys minutes right away.”

Sounds like G is going to play.

Semi is right there on the bubble of being a regular rotation contributor on an NBA team.  I feel confident that the Celtics are going to put him in there and see what he is ready for (they don't have much option). 

That's a good way to say it: he's on the bubble. You say that they don't have much option, and there's truth to that, I think. Marcus Morris has moved on.

The team picked up his option, so they're willing to see how it goes.

At age 24, this is the time he needs to show it if he has it.   This year is a big opportunity for him.  It is right there on a silver platter.

Exactly.  I don't know if it's a "make or break" year for him - it isn't, as far as his NBA career goes, but I bet it is for his career as a Celtic.

I agree that "this year is a big opportunity for him" - as it is for Carsen and Timelord, there's a potential rotation spot waiting for him, if he can earn it.

My bias is to root for guys like him who are intense and workaholic; but he's got intriguing skills as well.