KO Rediscovers Shooting Stroke as C’s Fall to DET

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KO Rediscovers Shooting Stroke as C’s Fall to DET



Posted: Dec 01, 2016

By Taylor C. Snow |  @taylorcsnow
Celtics.com



December 1, 2016




BOSTON – It’s taken a bit of time for Kelly Olynyk to find a consistent shooting rhythm after missing the entire preseason and the first six games of the regular season while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

The Celtics big man, however, is finally beginning to look like the efficient Olynyk of old, especially after Wednesday’s lights-out shooting performance against the visiting Detroit Pistons.

Olynyk came off the bench and poured in a season-high-tying 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field.

His spark alone was not enough, as Boston ultimately fell to Detroit, 121-114. But it continued a promising trend for the forward who has strung together three strong shooting performances in a row, after a patchy start to the season.

“He’s in a good groove right now,” said teammate Jae Crowder. “He’s spacing the floor, being aggressive off the bounce and doing everything that we need him to do. I think he’s playing very well for us right now and is a good spark for us off the bench.”

Olynyk was a tremendous spark during the first quarter Wednesday night when he entered the game for Amir Johnson at the 5:53 mark. He hit four shots – including two 3-pointers – during a five-minute and 46-second span, finishing the opening frame with a game-high 10 points.

He basically picked up where he left off Monday night in Miami, when he shot 5-of-7 from the field for a 14-point effort during Boston’s 112-104 win over the Heat.

Wednesday’s game marked Olynyk’s third straight effort in which he made at least two thirds of his shot attempts. He had accomplished that feat just once during his first nine games – a 2-for-3 effort on Nov. 19 in Detroit.

During those first nine games, Olynyk shot just 38.5 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from 3-point range. Both of those percentages were well below the big man’s typical shooting numbers – he entered the season with career clips of 46.5 percent shooting from the field and 37.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.


Kelly Olynyk's shot chart through his first nine games of the 2016-17 season.
NBA Stats


Olynyk is not surprised that it took him a few weeks to find a rhythm considering his unique situation.

“I mean, I hadn’t played basketball in six months. It takes a little to get back into a groove,” he said with a chuckle after Wednesday’s game.

Olynyk certainly has been in a groove during the last three contests as he’s shot 16-of-22 (72.7 percent) from the field and 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) from 3-point range.

The latter statistic is an important one for Boston’s offense. When Olynyk is hitting consistently from long range, the Celtics become much more dangerous on the offensive end because it spaces out the opposition since opponents are forced to respect his range.

“His ability to stretch the floor is big for us, and he’s doing a pretty good job of picking his spots as well on seals and different post-ups,” said Brad Stevens. “But at the end of the day, what makes him different is his ability to stretch the floor.”


Kelly Olynyk's shot chart during his last three games.
NBA Stats


Olynyk isn’t just hitting from deep, however. He’s connecting on shots from all over the floor, whether it’s on drives, midrange pull-ups, etc.

Take a look to the right at the difference between Olynyk’s shot chart from his first nine games of the season and his chart from the last three contests.

It’s like night and day, isn’t it? And it’s proof that he’s hitting from virtually every spot on the floor right now.

“It’s great to see,” said fellow big man Al Horford. “Kelly’s playing with a lot of confidence and shooting the ball really well. He’s also a great passer so it’s good to see him coming off the bench and having an impact like that.”

Unfortunately, Olynyk’s impact was all for naught Wednesday night, as Detroit’s well-rounded scoring performance kept the C's at bay. But if Boston’s 7-foot sharpshooter can keep his hand hot, Boston’s second unit will be difficult to stop in games to come.



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