Kelly Olynyk: Couldn't do anything in playoffs, tough to miss Canada's run

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2016/05/kelly_olynyk_couldnt_do_anythi.html



Boston Celtics' Kelly Olynyk: Couldn't do anything in playoffs, tough to miss Canada's run




Boston Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk could miss part of the preseason after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. (AP Photo/David Goldman)


Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com


on May 26, 2016 at 7:50 AM


Below are a couple of notes about Kelly Olynyk's shoulder surgery last week after the Boston celtics big man appeared at a community event Wednesday afternoon.


Ineffective playoff run

Speaking publicly for the first time since the surgery, Olynyk told reporters he had a lot of trouble with the issue during the playoffs.

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Scott Souza ‎@Scott_Souza
#Celtics Kelly Olynyk admitted couldn't do "anything" in playoffs, said he "couldn't hold off one of these kids" from middle school event.
11:11 AM - 25 May 2016
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This helps to explain why Olynyk hesitated to return to the court after aggravating the shoulder issue in Game 1, and why he was so ineffective once he did step back into the lineup. Over three playoff appearances, he shot just 1 for 9, scored a grand total of two points over 32 minutes, and failed to provide his usual boost to the Celtics spacing.

Especially in that series -- during which the Atlanta Hawks choked Boston's offense at the rim -- having an extra outside threat would have been a big deal. Instead, Olynyk didn't even have enough strength to fend off middle schoolers, which probably made it tougher for him to handle Paul Millsap and Al Horford.


Tough to miss summer with Canadian national team

Before opting for surgery, Olynyk considered pushing it off because he wanted to play for the Canadian national team this summer. Canada will participate in one last qualifying tournament in July; a championship there, which is very possible, would give the team a berth in this summer's Rio Olympics.

Olynyk badly wanted to participate in that run. Unlike the United States, Canada doesn't always have a strong national team. The country hasn't qualified for the Olympics since 2000, when Steve Nash was in his mid-20s. But with a strong core of young NBA players, including Olynyk, the hope is that this could become some sort of golden age for the basketball program.

"If I would have played in the Olympics and done it in September, I would have been ready for playoff time hopefully, right?" Olynyk said, according to the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach. "I just couldn't miss all of next year.

"We're moving in the right direction and I want to keep momentum going. It was a really, really tough decision, obviously for everything I have tied back to Canada, but it was something I needed to do."

In the end, Olynyk chose surgery and should be ready in about five months. That timeline would sideline him four at least part of the preseason, but allow him to suit up by opening night. For the Celtics, at least, that seriously beats the alternative option he mentioned, which would have "hopefully" left Olynyk ready for the NBA playoffs.

It's too bad the injury occurred before the Olympics, but the Celtics pay Olynyk's salary and would like to have their sharpshooting big man back in top form.



bob
MY NOTE: I won't mention any names (e.g. Cowens) who would say that Kelly couldn't hold off a middle schooler before the injury, but clearly a shoulder injury will make it very tough to grab a rebound away, much less shoot. Over the course of the season, however, his 40% 3pt shooting opened up the floor for other players and we need more of that, as we saw in the playoffs. Our inability to hit from outside with Bradley and Olynyk out allowed Atlanta to pack the paint and make inside offense very difficult.


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I hate to be such a damn contrarian but I totally disagree about KO being much missed in the playoffs.  What was missed considering his below average play during 4  regular season games against the Hawks.

I thought overall he shot the ball well but even with that he only averaged 7.8 ppg which was below his season average and he did not help on the glass (2 rebounds per game)

This will be KO's 4th year coming up and it looks to me that he has pretty much topped off with no significant upside.  He will be a rotation player that is subject to being replaced.  Not a lot of value for a player that DA moved up to get.

But as you know I like KO in the offense.  Will he show more toughness and consistency next year?  If not he will be gone.

dboss