Kelly Olynyk: Continuity could help Boston Celtics 'start to really take off'

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2015/08/kelly_olynyk_boston_celtics_2.html




Kelly Olynyk: Continuity could help Boston Celtics 'start to really take off'







Kelly Olynyk enjoys a trip to Legoland with some kids from the Horizon for Homeless Children program. (Jay King/MassLive.com)
Print Email Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com

on August 06, 2015 at 4:10 PM



SOMERVILLE -- In all likelihood, this was the closest Kelly Olynyk will get to the Larry O'Brien trophy this year: sitting at Legoland with a group of kids, all within arm's reach of a Lego model of the NBA championship award.

Still, expectations are higher now for the Boston Celtics. At a press conference last week, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said he brought in established veterans to help win playoffs games. The Celtics are set to bring back most contributors from last season, when they rode a surprising wave into the postseason. There's a different feel to this summer -- a bit more continuity, at least for now.

"When you keep that core together and you play with each other, (it helps)," Olynyk said Thursday at Legoland, where he joined a group of kids from the Horizons for Homeless Children program on a field trip. "Last year, during that middle of the season, it was kind of tough because it was like a rotating door of guys. Every game you're playing with a new guy. It's like you're playing pickup every game. Now that you've got that continuity, you've played with guys, a little bit of familiarity, you can start to really take off."

After going on rides, marveling at Lego models of major Boston attractions and posing for photos with the children Thursday, Olynyk took a bit of time to address the Celtics offseason, the Canadian national team and his personal goals for the summer.

Some highlights of the conversation follow:

1. Olynyk will miss his close friend, Phil Pressey, who signed with the Portland Trail Blazers after the Celtics waived him last month. But the former teammates plan to stay in frequent touch.

"He came up to my camp (last week in Kamloops, a city in Canada) and I've talked to him probably like 20 times since then," Olynyk said. "He calls me or I call him almost every other day."

Because of his tight relationship with Pressey, Olynyk felt empowered to critique the point guard's facial hair, which can be viewed in the photo below:




"He's trying to catch up with me," said Olynyk, whose own scraggly growth once drew a Scooby Doo reference from Danny Ainge. "Worst facial hair in the NBA."

Olynyk was far more serious about Pressey's departure.

"That was real tough. But I'm happy for him to get a gig there with Portland," said the big man. "He's a great player, works real hard, and I'm hoping for the best for him."

2. In about a week, Olynyk will travel to Toronto to compete with the Canadian national team in an Olympic qualifying tournament. He said he expects to meet with Ainge and Celtics head coach Brad Stevens to formulate a plan for exactly how much he will participate in the games.

Some of the country's top talent recently took home a silver medal at the Pan Am Games, but Olynyk sat out that event to limit the offseason wear and tear on his body. He did make an appearance at the training camp and sees a lot of potential in the country's growing talent pool.

"I got to get out there a little bit before the Pan Am Games for the training camp and see the guys, see how everyone's working. And it's really exciting," he said. "They had a great showing in the Pan Ams, and we're going to have a great group of guys together to try to qualify for these Olympics."

3. Last year, Olynyk said he lost about 20 pounds over the offseason. This summer, he is working out with a different focus.

"Just build as much strength and mobility as possible," he said. "Staying as agile and mobile as you can while continuing to gain strength. And I think that's the biggest thing: becoming more athletic every single year."

As a team, the Celtics became more athletic by acquiring three rookies, Amir Johnson, David Lee and Perry Jones while holding onto free agents Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko. Olynyk said he has liked the offseason so far.

"I think it's been good," he said. "I think guys are working hard. I think we had a great showing in summer league. The young guys have been working hard. Danny made some moves, and I think we're ready to get back at it."



bob
MY NOTE:  Surprising that Kelly lost 20 pounds last offseason.  Remember how he showed up with more definition in his muscles?  He looked like he added weight.  So, Kelly LOST 20 pounds and Danny said that only Sully didn't achieve his team-set conditioning goals.  Interesting...


.

I like the agility thing even more than the strength thing, although both are important. He has always looked heavy-legged to me; and, if he can move his feet more quickly, it could do wonders for his defense. More weight wouldn't necessary be a bad thing if it's focused above the waist.

Sam

"...by acquiring three rookies, Amir Johnson, David Lee and Perry Jones..."

Rookies? This will be big news to them and their agents...

Sam,

An athlete who is in his early 20s is not going to gain quickness and agility without getting stronger. This aged guy has already maxed out his God given natural agility.

To play better in the NBA, Olynyk will need to get stronger and then stronger again next off season as well. He may not add a lot of weight, but he can get much stronger.

I thought that it is interesting to see him specifically mentioning trying to develop his weakness. Surely, he is a smart kid, but I will bet that Stevens and staff have made it very clear to this guy (and all the other returning players) exactly what they want them to work on as part of their mission to make their players better and better.

Clyde,

Fine, let him grow stronger too. But, given all the agility exercises that exist, I can't buy that he (or most 24-year-olds) can't become more agile. But, before any of that happens, I'd be most concerned that strength drills do not reduce his agility. I believe every ounce of muscle added below the waist could pose that threat.

Sam

Just as there are some basketball terms that wear out their welcome rather quickly, "continuity" continues to be one of my favorites. I've been saying for several years that the Celtics were victims of discontinuity. Because I believe that every exit AND ENTRY to the Celtics roster (whether it's permanent or temporary) creates an element of discontinuity. I can't remember when I've seen a team develop such continuity in such a short span as during the second half of last season. Especially, since that continuity included Isaiah Thomas, who could be labeled by some a bit of a me-baller.

So it's nice to see Kelly allude to continuity as being a plus for the team. And just thinking about continuity makes me wonder how much emphasis Danny



weighs the negatives of trading away a key representative of team continuity versus the positives of acquiring a player with a known skill set but with no guarantee as to how he'll interface with his new teammates. Cousins would be a prime example.

Sam

puts on risking a loss of continuity by trading away a representative of that continuity versus the pros of acquiring a given player in return.