IT and KO

[otherdave]

I know 7 games in is a very, very small sample size, but is anyone else concerned about IT's inefficient shooting %'s?  His FG% = .375 and 3PT % =  .256   Granted he is a great free throw shooter.



I accept that Amir and Jonas both have very slow wide ups and releases on 3 pt attempts and therefore will only attempt 3's if they are wide, wide open.  For some reason I expect I little more from Kelly though.  So many times last night (and this season) Kelly is open (not wide open, but open) with the ball at the 3 pt line and he hesitates, pump fakes then drives the lane with mixed results.  Can't he just shoot it some of the time?  Why oh why can't he be the player I want him to be, instead of the player that he is?  Is that asking for too much?

Thanks for letting me vent - I feel better now!

[dwoumn]

I'm not so much worried with his shooting %'s as I am with his turnovers. Outside of IT, we don't have an offensive threat. His numbers are going to fluctuate as the season goes on. IT has gotten better assisting when he's in the starting lineup but a lot of his TOs are forced passes that he has better options.

This is the thing that frustrates me most about Olynyk. He is way to passive and looking for others before getting his. This is how you want to play basketball but at times Olynyk has to realize he has to let it fly. After the first few games, Olynyk has picked it up but still he looking to make the extra pass rather than taking the look himself. Sometimes its a good thing but other times its like Kelly shoot the ball!!! 

[otherdave]

This is the thing that frustrates me most about Olynyk. He is way to passive and looking for others before getting his. This is how you want to play basketball but at times Olynyk has to realize he has to let it fly. After the first few games, Olynyk has picked it up but still he looking to make the extra pass rather than taking the look himself. Sometimes its a good thing but other times its like Kelly shoot the ball!!!

Exactly!  I know we could sight nights when he did let it fly with poor results, but you got to keep trying to build your comfort level up.  He CAN do this.  I believe he was letting it fly for Canada this summer.

[PhoSita]

Kelly is a distributor.  That is his mindset. 

I've accepted at this point that he is a player who will look to pass first and foremost.  His instincts have stayed the same since he was a point guard far back before he hit a growth spurt and became a big man.

So when Kelly gets the ball at the three point line, he thinks first and foremost about how to draw in the defense and then use that opening to find a teammate for a shot.  That's why he uses the pumpfake so much. 

Kelly's been better this year about putting the ball on the floor and actually driving after the pumpfake, but he's been a little bit Rondo-esque in that he so rarely actually attempts a shot on those drives that the defense hasn't keyed in on him that closely.


I say all this because I don't think Kelly is "tentative" so much as he just doesn't have a scorer's mindset. 

My advice is to accept that this is who Kelly is -- a rich man's version of Josh McRoberts.  Every team can use a guy like that.  He's just not going to turn into a 15-20 ppg scorer, despite his scoring skills.

[otherdave]

Well Kelly sure didn't hesitate last night against Hawks and to good result.  Lets hope he keeps it up!

[KeepRondo]

Kelly's mid range game has gotten much better. The eye tests says he'll be fine. I think he just has to settle into his role and with all the rotations, it could be a while.

The thing about IT, is that he's averaging 21 a game and he hasn't even found his groove yet. He has some crazy potential if he gets it going.

[jpotter33]

Kelly is a distributor.  That is his mindset. 

I've accepted at this point that he is a player who will look to pass first and foremost.  His instincts have stayed the same since he was a point guard far back before he hit a growth spurt and became a big man.

So when Kelly gets the ball at the three point line, he thinks first and foremost about how to draw in the defense and then use that opening to find a teammate for a shot.  That's why he uses the pumpfake so much. 

Kelly's been better this year about putting the ball on the floor and actually driving after the pumpfake, but he's been a little bit Rondo-esque in that he so rarely actually attempts a shot on those drives that the defense hasn't keyed in on him that closely.


I say all this because I don't think Kelly is "tentative" so much as he just doesn't have a scorer's mindset. 

My advice is to accept that this is who Kelly is -- a rich man's version of Josh McRoberts.  Every team can use a guy like that.  He's just not going to turn into a 15-20 ppg scorer, despite his scoring skills.

I'm not as sold on him being a distributor. I think there's still a scorer in there, and we're seeing it much more this year than year's past. I truly do think it was a confidence and comfort-ability factor with him, and he looks much more confident and comfortable in the offense this year than year's past. He's only averaging 17 minutes a game right now. I'd like to see him utilized more, because I think he's a great fit offensively next to most of our other bigs.

[otherdave]

Let's all remember the Kelly was quite a scorer his final year of college (once he finally got his confidence and comfort level up).

[Granath]

I know 7 games in is a very, very small sample size, but is anyone else concerned about IT's inefficient shooting %'s?  His FG% = .375 and 3PT % =  .256   Granted he is a great free throw shooter.

Not worried. The guy is a lifetime 36% 3 point shooter. He's not going to stay in the 20s all year. He's also been exceptionally consistent in terms of true shooting - between .574 and .579 every season of his career. Again, he won't stay at .516 this year.