Breaking Down Why Kelly Olynyk Should Be Boston's Starting CENTER

I know, it's a Bleacher Report article, but at least it's not about Sully.  Less than 4 weeks to go to camp.


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1759488-breaking-down-why-kelly-olynyk-should-be-boston-celtics-starting-center


Breaking Down Why Kelly Olynyk Should Be the Boston Celtics' Starting Center
BY MICHAEL WALSH (FEATURED COLUMNIST) ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

Can Kelly Olynyk man the middle right away for Boston?


Starting a rookie in the NBA is a scary idea, particularly when said rookie is as unconventional as Boston Celtics lottery pick Kelly Olynyk.

Change is something Celtics fans are being forced to accept this offseason. The chances are good that will continue into the 2013-14 regular season as the idea of winning championships is forced out in favor of developing youth.

Over the weekend, we looked at just what the Celtics can expect out of their top rookie this coming year. The answer that was settled on was murky, but judging from past performance, summer league play and reading between president of basketball operations Danny Ainge’s lines, it is fair to expect solid play with some flashes of brilliance from Olynyk.

That isn’t what you ideally want from a starting center, but little about the upcoming season for Boston is ideal.

Options behind Olynyk currently are rather lackluster. Kris Humphries was a career backup before a couple putrid New Jersey Nets teams needed him to start. He reverted back to a second- and third-string player last season.

If fellow rookie Vitor Faverani were a starting-caliber big, he would have made the NBA four years ago after declaring for the 2009 draft. Even Boston thought Lester Hudson was a better option at the time.

Brandon Bass and Jared Sullinger are already undersized and playing the power forward position. Unless the team makes a move to re-sign Chris Wilcox, another career backup, there really are no other center options.

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Danny Ainge on Kelly Olynyk: "We think Kelly is more of a power forward but can play some center as his body matures."
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Common opinion is that Ainge and the Celtics will be looking to make moves to clear the frontcourt a bit. That two-month hold placed on the players received from Brooklyn will be lifted on Sept. 12. At that point, Ainge will undoubtedly be looking to deal at least Humphries and Gerald Wallace.


One of the targets in those possible trade scenarios could be a legitimate starting center. There are a few bigs regularly thought to be available. The Cleveland Cavaliers are hoping Andrew Bynum can make Anderson Varejao (6’10”, 230 pounds) available.

The Phoenix Suns aren’t going anywhere right away, and Marcin Gortat (6’11”, 240 pounds) is on an expiring contract. Of course, the favorite is Omer Asik (7’0", 255 pounds), as the Houston Rockets have presumably replaced him in their starting lineup with Dwight Howard.

However, Rockets GM Daryl Morey has stated that he wants Asik and Howard to co-exist. The incumbent big man has a lot of fans in Houston’s front office and locker room. The chances of Boston getting him easily are slimming quickly.

Phoenix, in a way, owes it to both their fans and point guards to keep Gortat for now. He could fetch a more attractive price tag around midseason. In the meantime, the Polish big gives the Suns a respectable frontcourt and can help Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Kendall Marshall develop.

The reasons for Cleveland to hold Varejao off the market are most obvious of all. Bynum couldn’t get on the floor last season and has managed to play more than 80 percent of a season just twice in eight years. The 30-year-old Varejao will be leading a frontcourt that, without him, has an average age of 23.

As much as Boston would love to flip some assets and a big contract for a starting center, it may not be possible until midseason.

Center is a position on NBA life support at this stage. Due to the dearth of prototypical centers, the position was removed from All-Star balloting.






At the combine, Olynyk sized up at an even 7’0", tipping the scales at 234 pounds. Because his offensive game can best be described as finesse, those measurements are embellished to create the picture of a smaller, scrawnier frame. The numbers prove the contrary, though. Olynyk has the body necessary to play center in this league.

In the Atlantic Division, against the teams Boston will be facing most often, Olynyk will take on Jonas Valanciunas of the Toronto Raptors. Valanciunas measures out at 6’11” and around 230 pounds. The New York Knicks’ always scary Tyson Chandler is 7’1” and a mere 235 pounds. Spencer Hawes of the Philadelphia 76ers is a tad heftier at 7’0" and 245 pounds, but he's not a particularly skilled big.

The Brooklyn Nets’ Brook Lopez is considerably more frightening at 7’0" and 260 pounds. With Lopez, we are talking the cream of the offensive center crop, though.

Olynyk has comparable size to a large portion of NBA bigs. He won’t be a banging defensive presence nor a crafty rim-protector. However, in a scheme, there is little reason as to why his body and footwork can’t help him develop into a passable center.





Throwing a rookie like Olynyk to the starting wolves at this level can cause serious trepidation. However, it is for the best.

Valanciunas started 57 games as a rookie and now looks poised for a breakout year. Roy Hibbert started 42 times, Lopez 75 times and Marc Gasol, as a second-round throwaway pick, started 75 games as first-year players.

In all cases, seeing some starting minutes as a rookie was beneficial to their careers.

At Gonzaga, Olynyk was listed as a forward. However, next to him was most often the 6’8” Elias Harris. In name only was Olynyk a forward. He played the college version of a center.

Considering that new Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has spent his career as a college coach, he should feel comfortable with Olynyk’s perimeter game. Matt Howard, Stevens’ most known center at Butler, attempted 133 three-pointers as a senior, hitting 39.8 percent.


Ainge had to pull some strings to land Olynyk. He views him as a part of this team’s future as much as Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green and perhaps even Stevens. If the future is to be bright, Olynyk has to start learning with those other building blocks full-time.

It can still be successfully argued that to win a seven-game playoff series, one must have some major interior help. However, that isn’t what Boston’s mind should be on right now. This team has to worry about developing young players, not winning a championship.

If Boston wants to sell its rebuilding youth movement, what better way than starting a frontcourt of your past two first-round picks (apologies to Fab Melo)? Jared Sullinger has earned that spot by working his way up a roster built to win big. However, this current iteration doesn’t have the same goals in mind.

Doc Rivers had a fairly well-developed reputation for holding back his rookies. One had to earn playing time on that roster by proving something to Rivers, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in practice. Stevens doesn’t necessarily have that level of flexibility. Of course he’ll expect hard work, but he wont be able to afford keeping his best center option on the bench.

In the end, Olynyk’s talent should win out. While that may be marginal at the NBA level, the only way it becomes legitimate is through confidence and experience. Like so many before him, Olynyk will earn starting minutes as a rookie and hopefully use that experience to build something reliable.

He has the right body. He just needs the body of work.



bob
MY NOTE:  I don't think KO's underweight, defensively challenged game could handle the bruisers underneath in the NBA.  Having said that, I think he could become a stellar high post center, one that we haven't seen around here since Dave Cowens and Bill Walton (I'm not projecting KO to be HOFers like those two, I'm just comparing their types of games and skill sets).  At some point we'll need to get a real center, maybe Vitor will step up sooner rather than later, but I could see KO at center.  I just don't want to see him there any more than we need to.


.

For whatever reason, many sportswriters seem to think that height = center-playing ability. It doesn't.

I don't want KO at center because I think it'll take away from what we need him most for, scoring. I agree that we don't need him getting banged up.


KJ

I've been thinking of Olynyk as a center from the outset - so much so that Danny's endorsement of Kelly a SF caught me by surprise. I'm not that concerned about his physique, which I believe is not that different from Varejao's (although Anderson's footwork and hops are probably better).  But I am intrigued by his post moves and instincts.  More than any other Celtics center, he reminds me of Easy Ed MacAuley, who was the ultimate, slick high post player (amazing 180-degree spin jumper from the top of the key that I've never seen since) and a good post passer who sometimes struggled on defense and in rebounding action.

Notice that no poster has mentioned the possibility of trading KO.  I think that displays very good judgment.

Sam

Sam,

It would certainly be wrong of me to outright state that Olynyk can't play the five. I'm sure he could if necessary. But he'd need to bulk up if that's the case, in the event of a playoff series against a team with a legit center. Perhaps I'm thinking too far in advance.

As far as him being part of this team, I'll admit I had my doubts early on but I think Danny struck gold with this one.

KJ

KJ,

I wouldn't be shocked if Kelly had already added some muscle. But, nonetheless, the Varajao comparison interests me. I think Kelly may need added aggressiveness as much as added muscle; and it could be that his Celtics competition can help motivate him on that score even at least as much as they can help the team with their own skills. Actually I think it would have been a hoot to see Kelly and Shav confronting one another.

Sam

How about KO playing the high post and Bass and Sully (assuming he's not wearing orange and different numbers) in the low post? It's on defense where KO will struggle as a 5.


bob


.

Bob, how about Humphries being a PF on offense and taking the brawn on defense? One thing this team ostensibly has (although I feel there will be further changes before the start of the season) is versatility.

Sam

Sam,

Are you in favor of having Humphries starting over Sullinger? Then again, they'll both be getting a lot of minutes.

KJ

KJ,

I really like Sullinger, and I'm hoping he can be to the PF position what Dave Cowens was to the center position—a little short but making up for it in many other ways.. But I wouldn't want to force him into playing against brawny centers. So, when they're facing a really strong center, I could see giving Humphries a show at starting with Olynyk. Of course it depends on how he looks in came and whether or not he even makes it to the Celtics camp. And who knows? The South American guy could possibly show much that he could start at center with either Olynyk or Sully at PF. (Probably a very long shot.)

What's your opinion?

Sam

Hi,
I think it's way too early to tell. Based on just those few games (summer league) I saw him play I'd say he's not "sturdy" enough to play 5, especially on defense. Maybe Sam's right - switch him from PF on defense to C on offense.
Also, we have no clue how Vitor plays out. So far, he's the only true center. So, I guess BrSt will play him as a starter. If there're no deals in the next couple months I don't see anyone else taking center position off the bench - KO and Hump. Again, one of them can become a starter if Vitor doesn't find his grove.

AK

Sinus,

I'll still be shocked if there are no deals between September 12 and the beginning of training camp. I guess time will tell. (That's my entry for trite sentence of the year.)

Sam

Sam,

I prefer Sullinger over Humphries, and would like to see him have the opportunity to start with Green, Bradley, and Rondo as the new core.

Humphries can still come off the bench and log a lot of minutes because they need bodies down there. Or Humphries could start and still split minutes with Sully. Either way, I don't see Humphries on this team beyond this season anyway so maybe it comes as a moot point.

And I imagine that they'll both have to find a way to grind through guarding against centers. I don't think this team has enough centers to get around that. At some point, someone will be at a disadvantage. But, lucky for them, centers in this league aren't what they used to be 10-15 years ago.


KJ