Tommy on Olynyk

[Evantime34]

KO's ceiling is second or third guy off the bench. Good complementary piece. I hope he gets there.

As for Tommy, he knows more about basketball than everyone on this board. That said, I feel he is an embarrassment as a color man on Celtics broadcasts and he really should retire.

i'm assuming you mean second or third guy off the bench for a championship team, because he's already a 2nd/3rd guy off the bench for us and I expect him to get better.

[Who]

I wonder if Olynyk can add enough muscle ... could he develop into a Bill Laimbeer type player?

Minus the freakish levels of physical toughness that Laimbeer brought to the table. Of course. Olynyk will never have that. But I think he could learn from the other things Laimbeer brought to the table.

Olynyk, like Laimbeer, doesn't have the length to be a shot-blocker but with time and practice he could become a sound positional team defender like Laimbeer was. With more muscle, Olynyk could hopefully be a quality man-to-man defender at the center position. Offensively, Laimbeer's high post game and jump-shooting that created matchup problems at the center position is something Olynyk already has. Olynyk would need more growth as a rebounder but at least he has shown some progress there and looks like he might be able to become a solid rebounder with more work.

I wonder if that is a good player (Laimbeer) for Olynyk to copy and learn from. To try and imitate. To try and put on extra muscle/mass to play the center position in a similar style as Laimbeer used to.

No. Laimbeer had half the skills. And KO is not a dirty that laimbeer was

KO to me is more like a Brad Miller/channing frye mix

Are you freaking kidding me. Laimbeer is a multi-time All-Star, one of the best players on a two-time championship team, one of the better defensive rebounders and outlet passers of his generation, a terrific shooter at his position and one of only a handful of players to accumulate 10,000 points and rebounds in his career. He's got a good case as a Hall of Famer.

And you are saying that he has "half the skills" of Kelly Olynyk.

I would look at Laimbeer as a similar type of player as (better version than) a Brad Miller.

Two non-athletic ground bound non-shot blocking centers who had to rely on toughness, positioning and beating players to spots defensively + on offense, both played a lot in the high post, could stretch the floor with their jump-shooting and create mismatches that way despite their lack of athleticism. 

I would view Laimbeer as the superior player over Brad Miller because of the strength of Laimbeer's defense + rebounding. The more valuable player type of big man to have in a Championship type team and therefore the better player for Olynyk to study from and try to imitate. To model his game on.

[Tr1boy]

I wonder if Olynyk can add enough muscle ... could he develop into a Bill Laimbeer type player?

Minus the freakish levels of physical toughness that Laimbeer brought to the table. Of course. Olynyk will never have that. But I think he could learn from the other things Laimbeer brought to the table.

Olynyk, like Laimbeer, doesn't have the length to be a shot-blocker but with time and practice he could become a sound positional team defender like Laimbeer was. With more muscle, Olynyk could hopefully be a quality man-to-man defender at the center position. Offensively, Laimbeer's high post game and jump-shooting that created matchup problems at the center position is something Olynyk already has. Olynyk would need more growth as a rebounder but at least he has shown some progress there and looks like he might be able to become a solid rebounder with more work.

I wonder if that is a good player (Laimbeer) for Olynyk to copy and learn from. To try and imitate. To try and put on extra muscle/mass to play the center position in a similar style as Laimbeer used to.

No. Laimbeer had half the skills.

Are you freaking kidding me. Laimbeer is a multi-time All-Star, one of the best players on a two-time championship team, one of the better defensive rebounders and outlet passers of his generation, a terrific shooter at his position and one of only a handful of players to accumulate 10,000 points and rebounds in his career. He's got a good case as a Hall of Famer.

And you are saying that he has "half the skills" of Kelly Olynyk.

Who was laimbeer surrounded with? Pistons were stacked. Can he dribble on his own and pop in jumpers?

KO has more skills. KO has more skills than half of the league pf/c in the nba today (handles, passing, shooting). It doesnt mean KO is a better player though, not yet anyways

Also laimbeer was a physical tough dirty player. KO doesnt play to try to get under his opponents skin.

Someone who is like that is tyler hansborough

[Who]

KO to me is more like a Brad Miller/channing frye mix

If Olynyk stayed thin and looked to stay at the PF position, I think Frye could be a telling comparison for Olynyk. On the offensive end of the floor at least.

Two players who are limited in creating their own offense and are more complementary offensive weapons. Overwhelming majority of Frye's shots being spot up jumpers. Olynyk not quick enough to beat players one-on-one and hasn't been strong enough to take opponents into the post regularly enough. Likely a similar type of spot-up shooter at PF.

Two things that worry me

(1) Olynyk would have to improve his jump-shot considerably. Frye is like a 40% three point shooter. Olynyk has a good jump-shot but so far he looks more like a solid jump-shooter rather than a standout jump-shooter at that more skilled PF position. And I worry that if Olynyk fails to become a standout shooter, does that limit him to a 15mpg bench role?

(2) Frye is much quicker and more athletic and it allows to make more of an impact on team defense than Olynyk does. It is a part of Frye's game that he doesn't get enough credit for. I am not sure - because of his lesser athleticism - that Olynyk can ever do that.

[Tr1boy]

KO to me is more like a Brad Miller/channing frye mix

If Olynyk stayed thin and looked to stay at the PF position, I think Frye could be a telling comparison for Olynyk. On the offensive end of the floor at least.

Two players who are limited in creating their own offense and are more complementary offensive weapons. Overwhelming majority of Frye's shots being spot up jumpers. Olynyk not quick enough to beat players one-on-one and hasn't been strong enough to take opponents into the post regularly enough. Likely a similar type of spot-up shooter at PF.

Two things that worry me

(1) Olynyk would have to improve his jump-shot considerably. Frye is like a 40% three point shooter. Olynyk has a good jump-shot but so far he looks more like a solid jump-shooter rather than a standout jump-shooter at that more skilled PF position. And I worry that if Olynyk fails to become a standout shooter, does that limit him to a 15mpg bench role?

(2) Frye is much quicker and more athletic and it allows to make more of an impact on team defense than Olynyk does. It is a part of Frye's game that he doesn't get enough credit for. I am not sure - because of his lesser athleticism - that Olynyk can ever do that.

Its only a comparison and he is not an exact replica. Thats why i said miller/frye mix.

These days also whats good to see is olynyks ability to score close to the basket. He is flipping shots up, floaters, running hook to score. Its been a while since he got blocked

[cman88]

the least you can hope of someone you draft at any position is that they can at LEAST become a contributing NBA player.

so far Olynyk has shown that he at least has potential to contribute. he has high BB-IQ and has a solid shot. those 2 things lend well to suceeding in the nba

unlike Fab Melo, Jajuan johnson who clearly didn't belong in the NBA

[SHAQATTACK]

the least you can hope of someone you draft at any position is that they can at LEAST become a contributing NBA player.

so far Olynyk has shown that he at least has potential to contribute. he has high BB-IQ and has a solid shot. those 2 things lend well to suceeding in the nba

unlike Fab Melo, Jajuan johnson who clearly didn't belong in the NBA

I never liked Brooks either ....so glade he is gone .  People here acted like he was the next coming of Kobe  .......what a pile of trash he was.

[PhoSita]

Spencer Hawes seems like a better comp for Olynyk, to me, than Frye or Miller.

I don't think Kelly will ever be as big and bruising as Miller, and I don't think he'll be a volume outside shooter like Frye.  I think he can be a high percentage shooter if he sticks to the right spots, and I think he can be a passable defender at the center spot; I'm not sure he'll ever be a net positive at the 4, especially as that position becomes more versatile and athletic as time goes on.

[Boris Badenov]

I wonder if Olynyk can add enough muscle ... could he develop into a Bill Laimbeer type player?

Minus the freakish levels of physical toughness that Laimbeer brought to the table. Of course. Olynyk will never have that. But I think he could learn from the other things Laimbeer brought to the table.

Olynyk, like Laimbeer, doesn't have the length to be a shot-blocker but with time and practice he could become a sound positional team defender like Laimbeer was. With more muscle, Olynyk could hopefully be a quality man-to-man defender at the center position. Offensively, Laimbeer's high post game and jump-shooting that created matchup problems at the center position is something Olynyk already has. Olynyk would need more growth as a rebounder but at least he has shown some progress there and looks like he might be able to become a solid rebounder with more work.

I wonder if that is a good player (Laimbeer) for Olynyk to copy and learn from. To try and imitate. To try and put on extra muscle/mass to play the center position in a similar style as Laimbeer used to.

No. Laimbeer had half the skills.

Are you freaking kidding me. Laimbeer is a multi-time All-Star, one of the best players on a two-time championship team, one of the better defensive rebounders and outlet passers of his generation, a terrific shooter at his position and one of only a handful of players to accumulate 10,000 points and rebounds in his career. He's got a good case as a Hall of Famer.

And you are saying that he has "half the skills" of Kelly Olynyk.

Who was laimbeer surrounded with? Pistons were stacked. Can he dribble on his own and pop in jumpers?

KO has more skills.

Someone who is like that is tyler hansborough

That's funny. Yes, Laimbeer could "pop jumpers." He was one of the best outside shooters at his position in the league, for a decade. He often shot off a dribble. He once hit 6 3-pointers in a game while grabbing 11 boards and dishing 4 assists...in the NBA Finals. He was the proto-Kevin Love - a great jump-shooter and top-3 rebounder. Though, he was a much better defender than Love is.

Comparing Laimbeer to Hansbrough is...amusing, I guess. Do you also think that Dirk Nowitzki and Brian Scalabrine are similar?

[clover]

KO to me is more like a Brad Miller/channing frye mix

If Olynyk stayed thin and looked to stay at the PF position, I think Frye could be a telling comparison for Olynyk. On the offensive end of the floor at least.

Two players who are limited in creating their own offense and are more complementary offensive weapons. Overwhelming majority of Frye's shots being spot up jumpers. Olynyk not quick enough to beat players one-on-one and hasn't been strong enough to take opponents into the post regularly enough. Likely a similar type of spot-up shooter at PF.

Two things that worry me

(1) Olynyk would have to improve his jump-shot considerably. Frye is like a 40% three point shooter. Olynyk has a good jump-shot but so far he looks more like a solid jump-shooter rather than a standout jump-shooter at that more skilled PF position. And I worry that if Olynyk fails to become a standout shooter, does that limit him to a 15mpg bench role?

(2) Frye is much quicker and more athletic and it allows to make more of an impact on team defense than Olynyk does. It is a part of Frye's game that he doesn't get enough credit for. I am not sure - because of his lesser athleticism - that Olynyk can ever do that.

I think you could see KO's timidity and nervousness in a lot of his early games, as well as his thinking through his playing.

Back in Gonzaga he shot over 63% FG% his last year, over 42% from the 3 his sophomore year, and he's over 80% of FTs in his rookie year.

It took five years in the NBA for Frye to break 33% from the 3.

[Celtics4ever]

College three is a joke.  NBA 3 is a man's shot.

[pokeKingCurtis]

Nice couple offensive nights forthe rookie but his defense is abysmal. And its not abysmal fromplaying against the most talented guy on the other team either.

And by that I mean, has any of the Olynyk supporters out there noticed who Stevens puts Olynyk on every single time he is on the court? He puts himon the worst of the three frontcourt players regardless of whether that player is a SF, PF, or C.

Olynyk is the tallest player on the team and Stevens wouldn't let him anywhere near Duncan even when it was clear that Bass, Sully, Humphries and Anthony couldn't guard him. At one point tonight Duncan got so hot Stevens brought out Anthony after Duncan had crippled him Sully and Bass and what who did KO run over to guard, Diaw.

Stevens does this every game. He purposely puts Olynyk on the worst offensive forward the opposition has on the floor at any given time and even then, those players are lighting him up.

You can only hide defensive deficiencies in a big man so long before he starts killing your team defense.

http://www.reddit.com/r/bostonceltics/comments/1xx9rs/hows_olynyks_defense_coming_along/

Well here's a pretty good (IMO) analysis of Olynyk's defensive performance vs. the Spurs. FWIW

[tarheelsxxiii]

Hardaway, Jr. looks so-so tonight, huh? Could've drafted him at 16... could've moved back to 24 and still drafted him. But, instead we trade up for an Euroleague all-star.

KO's athleticism really shined tonight when Waiters put the ball through his legs, too. What an athletic big... right up there with his cohort - both Plumlees, A. Davis, Drummond, etc. 

[pokeKingCurtis]

Hardaway, Jr. looks so-so tonight, huh? Could've drafted him at 16... could've moved back to 24 and still drafted him. But, instead we trade up for an Euroleague all-star.

KO's athleticism really shined tonight when Waiters put the ball through his legs, too. What an athletic big... right up there with his cohort - both Plumlees, A. Davis, Drummond, etc.

I was gonna say "inb4 reading too much into this game" but refrained.

Now it's twice I've said that, this time incredibly relevant XD

[SCeltic34]

Hardaway, Jr. looks so-so tonight, huh? Could've drafted him at 16... could've moved back to 24 and still drafted him. But, instead we trade up for an Euroleague all-star.

KO's athleticism really shined tonight when Waiters put the ball through his legs, too. What an athletic big... right up there with his cohort - both Plumlees, A. Davis, Drummond, etc.

Now we're judging draft talent and performance from the Rising Stars Challenge?  Dear lord.