Will Stevens move Kelly Olynyk into the starting line up? when?

[coco]

Voted  no.

Watching  how KO passes on open shots is frustrating.  Is like he doesn't recognize where his shots are...after 4yrs.

Having said that, he doesn't miss "gimmies" around the basket and that - as ridiculous as it sounds - is a skill that not every one has.

[saltlover]

It's a relatively small sample size of 50 minutes.  I'd also note that when KO is with the other starters, it's often at the end of games.  Many of these times he's being switched in for offense, so he's only on the court when the Celtics have the ball, and thus a chance to gain points, but off the court when the Celtics are defending, and thus have a chance to give up points (it's either Amir or Marcus on the court in these situations). I think this artificially inflates his net rating, given the small amount of minutes overall.

That's not to say I think it's a bad lineup.  I think it definitely has its strengths.  I just think that purely going by net rating might ignore a confounding variable.

[oldtype]

Was about to post something about how Kelly has seriously regressed this year, then noticed he was still posting pretty good defensive RPM numbers. 

I think we're getting to the point where we have to call him a defensive big that's deceptively good at shooting, not a shooting big that's deceptively good at defense.

[footey]

Kelly's regression. especially on the offensive end, is patently obvious.  I see no reason this question is being polled.

[alewilliam789]

For all the hate I have for Kelly Olynyk, I actually like the kid's skillset when his head is in the game and he's confident. The problem is that predicting that is near impossible because of how inconsistent he can be. Honestly I think a lot of his issues stem from a lack of length because he does slide pretty well and at times shows toughness on the block. The problem is that if you pair his lack of length with his average athleticism you get deficiencies that really can't be improved on unless he goes to a good scheme fit.

I'm all-aboard the start Olynyk at the 4 train just to give him one last chance to prove himself and give us a reason to give him money in the offseason.

At this point though with the deficiencies he has in the rebounding, consistency, and shot blocking department, I don't think we should chase him on the market unless it's to the tune of 8 mil 2 years with a team option on the 2nd year

[Rosco917]

Amir usually defends the opposing teams center, or best low post player. I'm not ready to give Kelly Olynyk that type of responsibility.

True enough, Kelly has a solid plus/minus, against the opposing teams second line players. You can never count on KO to be reliable, some nights he's just not in rhythm.

[oldtype]

Amir usually defends the opposing teams center, or best low post player. I'm not ready to give Kelly Olynyk that type of responsibility.

True enough, Kelly has a solid plus/minus, against the opposing teams second line players. You can never count on KO to be reliable, some nights he's just not in rhythm.

RPM adjusts for both strength of teammates on court and strength of opposition players on court.  After three full years of good defensive RPM numbers, we can't just assume it's statistical noise. He's good at defense.

The problem is that I'm not sure he's actually good at shooting.

[Chief]

We are a much better team with KO on the floor.
Our starting 5 has a net rating of +6.9.
When swapping out Amir for Olynyk and we have the best lineup so far for the season at +22.8.
His defense is good enough now that he can guard most NBA 4's and 5's and it's his help defense that shines above all else.

I wonder if they are keeping KO to 20 minutes a night because he's an RFA and they want to keep opposing offers as low as possible?

Watch the latest bballbreakdown if you disagree, some brilliant, insightful and constructive points by Coach Nick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJdtTfbtzLI

I wonder if that rating has anything to do with Marcus usually subbing in at the same time?

[TheSundanceKid]

I hope not. KO is a nice complementary player but putting him up against starting units all the time is not using him most effectively IMO

[CelticPride2016]

I voted no. I wanted that switch earlier, but not now. We are winning games. Amir has played noticeably better. Don't fix it if it ain't broken.

Olynyk is playing better lately, but he still has a level or two to reach before he is better than Amir.

I do think Brad should take out one of Horford and Amir as early as possible. It usually works out that way. Amir is filling the Perk twenty five minute role. Isn't he 6 foot eleven? I think Amir is one of those KG seven footers who lie about their height. Or maybe I read too much into things.

The key is Olynyk. He is young enough to put in thirty stamina minutes. There is a value to Smart and Crowder being young and strong.

Horford and Johnson are our playoff veteran bigs. You don't want to burn them out. We want Isaiah and Avery at 100%. Health is everything.

[oldtype]

I just wish he wouldn't fall into these inexplicable shooting slumps.  If he could shoot 40% from three like he did last year and keep playing suspiciously above-average defense, then he's starter worthy no matter how ****ty he is at everything else.

[greece66]

@chambers

Thanks for this thread. It is a great opportunity to discuss how the team plays so far  season.

I agree with saltlover above; looking at net rating alone can be misleading because it is a small sample size + it might be artificially inflated because of the way CBS uses Kelly.

Having said this, 'coach Nick' made some good points that went beyond net rating.

Defensively, Kelly helps cover some of Horford's weaknesses because he is faster and more mobile on the perimeter.

Offensively, Kelly's 3pt% often forces one of the opposing bigs to stay with him at the perimeter, facilitating Horford's work in the paint.

He also mentioned Olynyk's ballhandling which can help us push for a fast break immediately after the defensive reb.

My opinion is that there good reasons to think Kelly is a good pair for Horford. Horford (based on what I have seen so far) is better suited to playing center next to a tall stretch 4 like Kelly than a paint dominant PF like Amir.

But Kelly will have to earn his place in the starting line up. Amir has been the better player so far this season.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Kelly's regression. especially on the offensive end, is patently obvious.  I see no reason this question is being polled.

I think he's been working so much on his defense--that he is now even more hesitant on the offensive end....Let's keep things the same for now. We've won 10/12...so things are working.
K. O. will come around---if he's not traded.

[jpotter33]

People really need to watch the video the OP posted. This is less about KO and more about getting Horford back to his true position of the center spot.

I'd be fine with either KO or JJ playing the 4 next to Al in the starting lineup.

And with my suspicions regarding Al at the 4 confirmed, I'm more and more warming up to the idea of a potential Milsap deal. Al is clearly a 5, and there's simply a lack of real power forwards that we could get right now to upgrade with. I'd love a Blake Griffin in green, but that seems to be pretty far-fetched this summer.

[furball]

I just wish he wouldn't fall into these inexplicable shooting slumps.  If he could shoot 40% from three like he did last year and keep playing suspiciously above-average defense, then he's starter worthy no matter how ****ty he is at everything else.

Kelly shot has been flat all year.  He is shooting line drives.  You have to think the shoulder injury may have something to do with it.   I wonder if his shoulder doesn't have full range of motion yet so he's not getting full extension or something.