KO Rust or is he a Bust?

[Rosco917]

IMO he was rusty. He missed shots he normally would hit, BUT.

The fact is he is one of the most athletically challenged basketball players in the NBA. He can't move his feet worth a dam, he is a poor leaper, plus he's extremely slow off the floor, if and when he does try to leap.
He looks lost on defense most of the time, because he knows he will never get to where he needs to be in time to help defend. So he over-compensates by pushing, grabbing and fouling.

Will he improve is the question? When your limited as he is, the only thing that will help is minutes and more minutes, to learn how to "memorize" how to react to the game defensively. On the O side of the ball he is best with the ball in his hands, to pass, or shoot, and pick and roll, as most guards do.

If an NBA team can afford the luxury of a 7' player that plays like a small, then yes he could end up 8th or 9th player off the bench when you need a some scoring. But that is certainly a luxury.

Someone mentioned Jermaine O'Neil, when O'Neil was a second year player he was an obvious talent, he could defend, block shots, yes he needed seasoning, and experience for him to develop into the player he later became. But he was always quick and athletic.

Kelly isn't a bust, he's just not starter material.

Let me ask you. How good is Dirk on defense?

How good is David West , Zach Randolph.

These guys are also not the "athletes" your talking about. But they manage to get by on the defensive end. Especially since all three play with very good centers/shot blockers

If KO played beside a legit rim protector , then what?  He has not played with a proper rim protector in college nor NBA yet.

Yes, KO playing besides a legit rim protector would hide his defensive deficiencies, true enough.

All three of the players you mentioned are mediocre defenders at best, but they all have the ability to turn it up a notch in playoff conditions. Kelly is at his max every night just trying to get minutes, that's why he leads the league in fouls per minute of play. His anticipation will grow in time, but many of his short comings will not.

IMO All three mentioned above are better athletes, stronger, and much tougher than Kelly Olynyk.

If Kelly is what anyone wants as a starting PF, or even a major contributor... that's ok, I just respectfully disagree.   

[Rosco917]

and don't get me wrong, I root for him to excel every time he steps on the floor. Kelly tries hard, and is a good kid to boot.

[Celtics4ever]

Let me ask you. How good is Dirk on defense?

How good is David West , Zach Randolph.

These guys are also not the "athletes" your talking about. But they manage to get by on the defensive end. Especially since all three play with very good centers/shot blockers

Trouble is KO is just as bad on defense and much worse on offense.   Dirk was way more aggressive and a better player than KO.   People fear those guys, no one fears a soft hippie.

[Snakehead]

Let me ask you. How good is Dirk on defense?

How good is David West , Zach Randolph.

These guys are also not the "athletes" your talking about. But they manage to get by on the defensive end. Especially since all three play with very good centers/shot blockers

Trouble is KO is just as bad on defense and much worse on offense.   Dirk was way more aggressive and a better player than KO.   People fear those guys, no one fears a soft hippie.

Your post summed up why not to take your opinion seriously.  I think a lot of people see how he looks and think he's bad, which is sad.

[BDeCosta26]

Let me ask you. How good is Dirk on defense?

How good is David West , Zach Randolph.

These guys are also not the "athletes" your talking about. But they manage to get by on the defensive end. Especially since all three play with very good centers/shot blockers

Trouble is KO is just as bad on defense and much worse on offense.   Dirk was way more aggressive and a better player than KO.   People fear those guys, no one fears a soft hippie.

No one fears Dirk or West because of how they look. They fear them because they know they probably can't stop them and they don't wanna get beat. Dirk looks like he's homeless. If KO starts beating people regularly, they'll fear him too regardless of his hair.

All KO has to do is use the skills he already has and be more assertive.  Will he ever be anywhere near as good as Dirk has been? Absolutely not. But if he can just manage to choose the right times to shoot, drive and pass he could be quite a player. Management is so high on him because 7 footers just don't ever have his skill set. Paired With a defensive minded big, He could absolutely be a starter on a good team if he keeps improving and reaches his potential.

[rollie mass]

anybody that has played as a rookie and then sophomore year on the boston celtics should get a medal,you got turner rondo,smart at guard ,rondo goes ,green goes a revolving door of new players passing through,no set rotations.Imagine timing issues and defensive issues and playing two positions.There are some serious armchair players out there that are gibving no credit for his achievement , this is kelly's second season and now its isiah crowder,jerebco and no sully and no team practice-after a serious sprain and plays 22 min-good going kelly-

[rollie mass]

who was mentoring ko,there was nobody with his skill set to even help him,maybe kris humphries,a seven footer that can shoot and has guard skills,i think thats a first for the celts,if dwight powell had stayed there were some similarties and now maybe jerebko but ko is rather unique in his game-rondo seemed to dismiss kelly and took on zeller-now with a young committed team maybe its time for ko to relax and have some fun watching isiah-

[Evantime34]

People comparing Olynyk to Dirk are sure to think he's a bust. That is setting your expectations way too high.

Olynyk can be frustrating but other than IT he has the best ability to create a quality shot for him or his teammates on the C's. There is a reason he and smart are the only healthy guys that have positive net ratings (points per 100 offense minus points per 100 d)

[fairweatherfan]

KO seems to be one of those rare cases where a young guy is more highly regarded by the team than by the fanbase.  They really seem to value his floor spacing and ball movement in particular - and I'd say it was effective against New Orleans' bigs, despite his bad shooting.

I'd say what we've seen so far is just rust; give him a few games to get back into the groove.  But I don't think Kelly will ever be a consistent, major weapon; his role seems more and more to be a good complementary player who helps open things up for the top guys.

[rollie mass]

foulweather -good point also kelly might be a late bloomer -he grew late and  didn't he redshirt a year at gonzaga and being with the celts has had its manical moments-danny now has the tools to add to this team free agency and draft with a cadre of  interchangable players that can come off bench.

[DarkAzcura]

Have his drives and finishes some how been washed out of your memory?

I an recall him getting swatted too and not being able to finish above the rim and doing floaters.  Can you?

He goes out there, plays his game, and it's like some of you have never seen him play before.

it's because he is not even one game to the next.  Consistency is an issue for him.  One good game and one bad game.  That is what I recall.

Who gives a crap if he gets swatted every now and then when he finishes at a 72% clip. Who cares if he doesn't finish about the rim when he has those rates? He isn't any less effective at finishing at the rim just because he does it in a way that isn't appealing to you. You are ignoring facts because of lack of appeal. You are being biased. You are being overly nitpicky, and I suspect it is because of the way he looks.

EDIT:

Let me ask you. How good is Dirk on defense?

How good is David West , Zach Randolph.

These guys are also not the "athletes" your talking about. But they manage to get by on the defensive end. Especially since all three play with very good centers/shot blockers

Trouble is KO is just as bad on defense and much worse on offense.   Dirk was way more aggressive and a better player than KO.   People fear those guys, no one fears a soft hippie.

Oh. Looks like I was right.

[tyrone biggums]

He wasn't a bust for the draft he was in. Certainly not where he was picked. We all would have rather had Giannis but what can you do. KO has played out of position for two years. Once the Celtics get an actual rim protector then judge away.

[gpap]

No offense, but for those who saw the game Friday night and are saying Olynyk was effective, I am starting to wonder what game you were watching.

Olynyk had (I believe) 6 pts, but 4 of those were at the free throw line.

He also missed two free throws and put up a brick shot from outside the perimeter.

He just looked out of sync and didn't really do anything particularly well.

I don't know, maybe I am missing something, but I don't think I am.

It sounds more like people REALLY REALLY want to like Olynyk so they are trying to find silver linings.

[GreenFaith1819]

I believe it's more RUST than BUST.

KO MUST play better, though - if we are making a THRUST these next few weeks into the playoffs.

He needs to DUST off his game since he's been injured.

[fairweatherfan]

No offense, but for those who saw the game Friday night and are saying Olynyk was effective, I am starting to wonder what game you were watching.

Olynyk had (I believe) 6 pts, but 4 of those were at the free throw line.

He also missed two free throws and put up a brick shot from outside the perimeter.

He just looked out of sync and didn't really do anything particularly well.

I don't know, maybe I am missing something, but I don't think I am.

It sounds more like people REALLY REALLY want to like Olynyk so they are trying to find silver linings.

If your only standard is scoring, then sure, it wasn't a good game (8 pts though, not 6).  But the game I watched had more going on than individuals getting baskets.  Who had a pretty good summary earlier in the thread of why Kelly was still effective despite the crappy shooting:

Was anyone surprised that he got more minutes than Zeller?

I thought it was because Stevens wanted to pull Davis & Asik away from the basket to lessen the impact of their shot-blocking defensively.

The ball movement was also much better with Olynyk on the court. Olynyk did a great job of keeping the ball moving and helping to expose NO's over-helping defense. Bass is a non-passer and Zeller a limited one. They wouldn't have been able to exploit this as well without Olynyk.