Tommy on Olynyk

[mmmmm]

In the outrageously small sample-size department:

Since Feb 15, the Celtics DRtg:

w/  Olynyk   1.023   
w/o Olynyk  1.083

So ... as bad defensively as the team has played during this awful little stretch, it's been a lot better with Kelly on the court than with him off.

[cb8883]

Ainge messed up really bad not taking The Greek Freak over KO. He can jump out of the gym, run like the wind and is a much superior athlete to KO it's not even close.

[slamtheking]

Ainge messed up really bad not taking The Greek Freak over KO. He can jump out of the gym, run like the wind and is a much superior athlete to KO it's not even close.

hardly a mistake.  Kedrick Brown was more athletic than Joe Johnson and was kept over JJ for that reason.  how'd that work out for the C's?

[Tr1boy]

What is Olynyk's ceiling??

Definitely not Nowtiski. They are different kind of players outside of being white and 7ft tall

Anybody see Lamar Odom,  Tom Gugliotta, Vin Baker or Keith Van Horn as better comparisons?

[PickNRoll]

Raef Lafrentz

[Tr1boy]

Raef Lafrentz

that is actually a good comparison minus the shot blocking capability by Lafrentz

[hpantazo]

What is Olynyk's ceiling??

Definitely not Nowtiski. They are different kind of players outside of being white and 7ft tall

Anybody see Lamar Odom,  Tom Gugliotta, Vin Baker or Keith Van Horn as better comparisons?

I don't think he will ever be quite as good as Odom or Gugliotta were at their peaks, I think Baker and Van Horn are great comparisons

[JBcat]

A poor man's Christian Laettner prior to his torn Achilles injury?

[Eddie20]

From the Herald

As interesting as his rookie year has been, Olynyk is looking ahead to the concentrated opportunity to take what he has learned this season and use it to improve this summer.

“You know, I think it’s kind of like college, too,” he said. “When you have that offseason, you really have that time to work on yourself. There’s not a lot of practices in the 82-game season because there’s off days and you’re traveling, and sometimes it’s hard to get better and make big strides individually because there’s just no time.”

There is every expectation around the Celtics and the league that Olynyk will be able to take a giant step forward with both the summer’s work and, the club hopes, a better and more stable lineup.

Said one scout during the C’s West Coast trip, “He’s good, but it’s got to be hard for him playing on this team right now. He’s got a lot to work on, mainly on defense, but you can see he gets the game.”

Olynyk has experience in this whole learning process thing.

“Once you’ve played a year, you realize what you have to work on and where you have to work and at what level,” he said. “That was what kind of helped me when I redshirted, because instead of redshirting before my freshman year, I redshirted after I played two seasons. So I already knew what the deal was, what I had to work on and what it took.”

[Tr1boy]

From the Herald

As interesting as his rookie year has been, Olynyk is looking ahead to the concentrated opportunity to take what he has learned this season and use it to improve this summer.

“You know, I think it’s kind of like college, too,” he said. “When you have that offseason, you really have that time to work on yourself. There’s not a lot of practices in the 82-game season because there’s off days and you’re traveling, and sometimes it’s hard to get better and make big strides individually because there’s just no time.”

There is every expectation around the Celtics and the league that Olynyk will be able to take a giant step forward with both the summer’s work and, the club hopes, a better and more stable lineup.

Said one scout during the C’s West Coast trip, “He’s good, but it’s got to be hard for him playing on this team right now. He’s got a lot to work on, mainly on defense, but you can see he gets the game.”

Olynyk has experience in this whole learning process thing.

“Once you’ve played a year, you realize what you have to work on and where you have to work and at what level,” he said. “That was what kind of helped me when I redshirted, because instead of redshirting before my freshman year, I redshirted after I played two seasons. So I already knew what the deal was, what I had to work on and what it took.”

Good kid. He wont be taken adv so easily  next season.  I expect 15 pounds of muscles and for him to play more like he did in the SL league

[Fred Roberts]

I think if Kelly becomes a Keith Van Horn (career numbers much better than I remembered) or a poor man's Tom Chambers, he'll be a great pick up for the C's. Length & scoring in the same package are tough to come by.

[ScoobyDoo]

I agree triboy16f.

In four of his last 8 games he put up point totals of 21, 15, 14 & 11. the other four games were not stellar points wise - but inconsistency is the norm from rookies...
 
In his last 8 games he's averaged 7.5 boards a game.

Both of the above in roughly 23.5 minutes per game.

Those are pretty decent numbers for an alleged "bad rebounder".

I think Olynyk will focus in like a laser over the off season on his weaknesses, which I see primarily as:

1. Overall strength to hold his own defensively and impose his will offensively in the post.     

2. Overall all lateral foot speed - can also be improved by being leaner, stronger and quicker.

3. Better understanding of defensive rotations. Being able to anticipate and read the opposing offense can "help" make up for limited athleticism.

Speaking of athleticism. While Olynyk is no Avery Bradley laterally - he is surprisingly fast end to end on the break for a seven footer and he's willing to put his head down and churn it out as well.

Being a seven footer with this athletic skill alone is valuable and then you add that he knows how to pass and/or put the ball in hole when he receives it is equally valuable.

I'm bullish on Olynyk, as I was with Sully from the start. Both of these guys, on the surface, are underwhelming athletically. But they both know how to play the game - and that if often times far more valuable than being able to jump out of the gym.

   

[ScoobyDoo]

Abnd speaking of athleticism, I think people sometimes pigeonhole this definition.

For example (s)

1. I think Paul Pierce is one of the best athletes to ever play the game. His elite athleticism was in overall strength, durability, misdirection skills, understanding spacing, footwork, probably unusually strong in the legs and hips for his size, deception etc.

Jared Sullinger:
Unusually strong through the legs and hips. Naturally strong upper body as well. Great hand/eye coordination, footwork, understand how to use his body to create space. As slow as everyone says he is, he doesn't
't seem to get burned all the time. Ability to read offensive and defensive spacing, etc.

Olynyk:
Isn't as skilled athletically. But he has very good hand eye coordination for a seven footer, ability to see the floor well and pass the ball very well for a seven footer. Very, very good end to end speed for a big man.

To me guys like Bird and Magic were phenomenal athletes. Their athletic ability just wasn't the Vince Carter, Dominique Wilkins type of athleticism.
   

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Raef Lafrentz

that is actually a good comparison minus the shot blocking capability by Lafrentz

Agreed. If we're getting a non shot blocking Raef LaFrentz in a relatively weak draft, that's not bad.

[Tr1boy]

Abnd speaking of athleticism, I think people sometimes pigeonhole this definition.

For example (s)

1. I think Paul Pierce is one of the best athletes to ever play the game. His elite athleticism was in overall strength, durability, misdirection skills, understanding spacing, footwork, probably unusually strong in the legs and hips for his size, deception etc.

Jared Sullinger:
Unusually strong through the legs and hips. Naturally strong upper body as well. Great hand/eye coordination, footwork, understand how to use his body to create space. As slow as everyone says he is, he doesn't
't seem to get burned all the time. Ability to read offensive and defensive spacing, etc.

Olynyk:
Isn't as skilled athletically. But he has very good hand eye coordination for a seven footer, ability to see the floor well and pass the ball very well for a seven footer. Very, very good end to end speed for a big man.

To me guys like Bird and Magic were phenomenal athletes. Their athletic ability just wasn't the Vince Carter, Dominique Wilkins type of athleticism.
 

Good points. And if you think about it how athletic are guys like gasol, zbo, david west?

Still they can keep up and get it done defensively. This is KOs path

KO beginning of the yr was playing defense like a headless chicken. He wanted to stop the guy with the ball whenever possible instead of focusing on the fundementals. The outcome was he got burnt and in foul trouble quickly

These days he is remaining calm and trying not do too much. Sure that will equal some easy layups but in turn you dont screw up the system or get in foul trouble as quick.  Same offenaively not panicking and being of scared of getting his shots swatted. He is calm and is able to play inside outside where as before it was 90 percent outside. I loved the last game when he drove in shoulder first to shield the ball before the layup. Another play where he drove to the basket, favors followed him but he suddenly let up while favors was still moving fast and got an easy bank shot off the backboard.
Total vet moves. Vets who dont have the legs anymore but still know how to score.