yeah KO is barely an NBA player at this point. but because he has guard skills and in 7 feet tall and has shown some flashes of being a great scorer he is worth investing some time into. He basically has to prov he is worth another contract before his current one is up.
He's had two consecutive awful shooting nights in a row. Right now, his confidence is down, but to say that he's "barely an NBA player at this point" is complete hyperbole.
Over his first two seasons, he's actually proven to be a very serviceable NBA player. And, as you say, unlike someone like Steven Adams, who pretty much is what he is, Kelly still has room to grow.
Um, Olynyk is 2 years older than Adams and hasn't really improved since he entered the league (rebounding, shooting, etc. have actually gotten worse). Adams on the other hand has steadily improved his shooting and showed a pretty marked improvement in his rates from year 1 to 2 (he has admittedly taken a bit of a step back with the health of OKC this year in his rates, but has still greatly improved his shooting). And yet Olynyk is the one with room to improve and Adams is the one that has no room. Whatever you are smoking please pass it this way.
When I say "Adams is what he is" what I mean is that his NBA role is, and will likely remain, very simple--rebound, block shots, run the floor, be a physical presence. Coming out of college I was convinced he would fill that role well as a pro. He's actually the guy I wanted us to draft as I felt we needed that role filled. Give the big Kiwi credit he's filling the role that many of us hoped and expected he would.
I don't think it's as simple for Kelly based on him being what he is, a ridiculously offensively skilled seven footer who's still trying to figure out how to maximize his diverse skill set.
I agree with those who say his mentality is his biggest barrier. I'd like to see Danny keep him around to see if he can ever get his confidence level to a point where he can perform at his best on a consistent basis. I happen to think that if he can get to that confidence level, he can be a heck of an NBA player.