Olynyk at peak. How good is he?

[Forza Juventus]

He's 24 already.  He's probably not getting much better.  Poor man's Andrea Bargnani if he ever gets starter minutes (34+). 

Peak Bargnani is a poor man's version of what Olynyk already is.  Bargs was a historically bad rebounder for a 7-footer.  Olynyk isn't great, but he is significantly better.  He's also a better defender, partly because he actually tries.

I don't think Olynyk is the next Dirk, but he has the potential to be a better Channing Frye.

I agree that is a fair comparison.

[86MaxwellSmart]

KO has the work/game ethic of Jeff Green.

[Who]

I'm not really as concerned about the foot speed (which I don't actually think is that bad).

I think Olynyk is fine once he builds up a head of steam (it's not great or anything but it's okay). For example, when running the length of the court. It's that first movement on offense (first step) or defense (lateral) that I think causes him problems. Olynyk, again, seems to move reasonably well laterally after that first movement passes. It's just that first sharp movement that gets him into trouble.

[Beat LA]

Nolynyk's going to have a peak, lol?

[Who]

He's 24 already.  He's probably not getting much better.  Poor man's Andrea Bargnani if he ever gets starter minutes (34+). 

Peak Bargnani is a poor man's version of what Olynyk already is.  Bargs was a historically bad rebounder for a 7-footer.  Olynyk isn't great, but he is significantly better.  He's also a better defender, partly because he actually tries.

I don't think Olynyk is the next Dirk, but he has the potential to be a better Channing Frye.

I agree that is a fair comparison.

I disagree. Channing Frye was much more athletic and far superior defensive range vs Olynyk. Frye rarely got the credit he was due for the solid defense he played in Phoenix.

Olynyk's passing and ball-handling gives more utility offensively than Frye had.

[Forza Juventus]

He's 24 already.  He's probably not getting much better.  Poor man's Andrea Bargnani if he ever gets starter minutes (34+). 

Peak Bargnani is a poor man's version of what Olynyk already is.  Bargs was a historically bad rebounder for a 7-footer.  Olynyk isn't great, but he is significantly better.  He's also a better defender, partly because he actually tries.

I don't think Olynyk is the next Dirk, but he has the potential to be a better Channing Frye.

I agree that is a fair comparison.

I disagree. Channing Frye was much more athletic and far superior defensive range vs Olynyk. Frye rarely got the credit he was due for the solid defense he played in Phoenix.

Olynyk's passing and ball-handling gives more utility offensively than Frye had.

Maybe Bargnani is a better comparison. Mainly though Olynyk can be a solid starting stretch 4 if playing next to a shot blocking athletic center.

[Boris Badenov]

Olynyk's been pretty much the same player for two full seasons and he's 24. A better question might be "when will he start to decline"?

[LilRip]

KO's best position is 6th man. He's not good enough against starter big men but he'll terrorize backup big men. Plus, he's steady enough to give direction to our bench as well.

[footey]

Kelly's problem is he lacks assertiveness, a killer instinct. Guys like Bird, Pierce, IT (then and now) have it. Kelly could be so much better if he was more confident, more assertive. He is what he is, averaging about 10 PPG.

[BDeCosta26]

KO has the work/game ethic of Jeff Green.

Well, I think his work ethic is okay but he's just so tentative. He needs to decide what he's gonna do with the ball as he's catching it and not after. You can tell, he gets a pass and then thinks for a second whether he should shoot, drive or pass but in that second the opposing D shifts and his choice gets taken away. Gotta work on that this summer.

He's still our most valuable big at the moment though. There are very few 7 footers in the league with PG like skills that have proven they can contribute at the NBA level. With his shooting and driving skills, pairing him up with a guy like Cousins as a stretch 4 would be perfect. Then you can hide his defensive shortcomings better, he won't be so depended on for rebounds and having him on the floor would get a guy like DMC free of double teams, thus making his job easier.

I think the better Channing Frye is a good comparison. Of all our big men, he's the guy I want to keep around the most. His hesitation to assert himself needs to be fixed, but I really think he needs big minutes to speed that along. Our back-court log jam should start to straighten itself out this summer, and if he's still here that should free up some PT for him. Assuming we get some kind of Rim-Protecting big, I'd imagine we at least let one of Bass/Jerebko walk (Bass if it was me)or maybe even both, and one of the Sully/KO/Zeller trio gets traded so that will free up some minutes. And even with Steady PT, Olynyk will only play at his best with a viable shot-blocker and paint presence.

Still, when he plays well it's a beautiful thing to watch.

[Who]

I think mentality wise - Olynyk has the mindset of a facilitator more so than a scorer. A ball mover rather than a shot taker.

[Greyman]

A hair cut might help.

Seriously, he has shown he can contribute significantly and against quality opposition. Despite some stagnation in progression, he can still improve. Many players adjust to the NBA, play at a level for a while and then excel. He may never be an All Star (though not counting that out), but he could improve significantly - especially in the areas people have highlighted.

With more consistency and confidence he is a player producing at an acceptable level on a contending team. I like the idea of keeping him as a likely improver.

[SCeltic34]

I keep hoping that KO will turn into a poor man's Boris Diaw.  A multi-skilled big man with a high IQ who can put the ball on the floor and create for his teammates.  Break down defenses with high-level basketball plays.  Problem is KO is much more tentative and is quite a bit slower.  Maybe a Bargs-Diaw hybrid?

I think in today's NBA you gotta stick KO at the 5 or he's just not suited to play.  Way too much of a defensive liability at the 4 with his poor lateral speed and inability to guard smaller players.  His greatest value is his ability to create mismatches with his floor spacing and offensive skills, but right now that is offset with his bad defense.  He's improved noticeably on his defensive rotations, but his defense still certainly does not pass the eye test.

[crimson_stallion]

He's 24 already.  He's probably not getting much better.  Poor man's Andrea Bargnani if he ever gets starter minutes (34+). 

Barg at the same age averaged 17.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.4 block on 47%/37%/77% shooting

Diff is Barg got 35 mins and Oly got 22 min.

Per-36 Barg - 17.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, 47%/37%/77%
Per-36 Oly - 16.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 47%/35%/68%

Poor Man's Bargnani? 

Olynyk is not far off Bargnani as a scorer (at least on a per minute basis) but he's a far better passer and rebounder. 

People seem to forget that KO averaged almost as many rebounds than Sully last year on a Per-minute basis (something like 9.5 rebounds per 36 minutes).  He's a much better rebounder than people give him credit for, especially as an offensive rebounder (where he's borderline elite).

[crimson_stallion]

Olynyk's been pretty much the same player for two full seasons and he's 24. A better question might be "when will he start to decline"?

Did you guys not see how rapidly Olynyk improved last year after the all-star break versus before the all star break?  He made massive strides.

He also missed quite a few games this season and also had to play through a multitude of roster changes.  When you're starting some games, coming off the bench for others, not player at all (due to injury) in others, then playing with physical limitations (due to injury) in others, and frequently playing with different groups of guys...it's difficult to get in a flow.  That's especially true for a second year guy.

I think you'll find KO will improve quite significantly from where he is now.  Not saying he's going to be a star, but I think he has a higher upside then anybody else on this team aside from Smart and MAYBE Zeller.