Kelly Olynyk 'Clearly Better' As A Defender, According To Stevens

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Kelly Olynyk 'clearly better' as a defender, according to Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens



Print Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com
on October 06, 2014 at 1:00 PM




WALTHAM – By the end of his rookie season, Kelly Olynyk qualified as an offensive plus. He shot the ball well from all over the court, passed like few big men can, and even erupted over the final few games of the season, as if trying to punctuate all the improvements he made. Offensively, he adapted to the NBA game and showed he can succeed. He has a lot of skills that translated well from college to the pros.

Olynyk also took steps forward defensively. But on that end of the court, his physical profile offers more of a hindrance. A 7-footer, he possesses a short wingspan that keeps him from affecting shots like he should. He’s not the strongest big man, nor does he own the world’s quickest feet. With so much conspiring against him, he didn’t always provide top-level resistance as a rookie.

But it sounds like he’s really improving.

“He’s clearly better on the defensive end of the floor,” head coach Brad Stevens said Sunday. “He’s in the right spots. Last year, he was in the right spots, or at least knew where to be. But he (was) maybe a split-second reacting late, or his hands weren’t right. (During Friday’s scrimmages) he was very, very good on the defensive end of the floor. And I think we all saw that he was one of our better offensive players.”

Rookies typically struggle defensively, so we shouldn't be surprised Olynyk looks more comfortable now. We shouldn’t expect him to morph into Dikembe Mutombo, though. The second-year pro simply doesn’t own the athletic traits of a top-level defender. Just last week, Stevens was asked if Olynyk can guard centers.

“It just kind of depends on the center, right?” the coach began. “I think that's a great question.”

So I would suggest not getting too excited about Olynyk’s defensive improvements. But he definitely returned a lot leaner, and he said his body feels much better after recovering fully from a sprained ankle last season. He didn't think much of the injury initially, but looking back, he feels it hindered him more than he understood.

"I didn't have the same movement or mobility," he explained. "Kind of got a little bit heavy probably."

"(It impacted me), I think, more than I thought at the time," the big man added. "After the All-Star break, I really could feel myself back into the state where I could move freely up and down the floor, laterally, vertically, that kind of stuff. I could do more things that I thought I could do before, that maybe just slipped through my hands."

With one year of experience, one year to navigate a land where he's often at a run-and-jump disadvantage, the ball's not slipping through Olynyk's hands as often.

“Kelly’s in a good place," said Stevens, who clearly wants to feature the big man prominently. "Kelly makes a lot of good plays. I thought he was one of our better players on the court (during the scrimmages) and has been in practice as well."

With his abilities to stretch the court, put the ball in the basket and find open teammates, Olynyk doesn’t need to be a great rim-protector to make a positive impact. Still, his defense needed to improve. If it looks a lot better this season, joy.





bob
MY NOTE:  That's it, Kelly, just minimize your weakness (if you can't turn it into a strength) and your offensive skills will keep you on the court.




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I thought I had read that he had bulked up somewhat. Maybe the truth is that he's leaner but more muscular and tough. Whatever, here's hoping his defensive improvement can mirror (to some degree) his obvious offensive progression.

Sam