Rondo Plays Teacher To Rookie On The Bench

http://www.hoopsworld.com/rondo-plays-teacher-to-rookie-on-bench






Rondo Plays Teacher to Rookie on Bench
By Jessica Camerato
NBA Writer and Columnist



An NBA rookie’s first season is about learning, whether the knowledge comes from playing experience or listening to teammates in the locker room. When an injury keeps him off the court, it can create an opportunity for the young athlete to develop himself away from the game. It also helps when his veteran teammates take it upon themselves to reach out … and move over.

KellyOlynyk_InsideOnlyCeltics3There are no assigned seats on the Boston Celtics bench, but the unspoken arrangement had been consistent early in the season. Team leader Rajon Rondo, sidelined by an ACL injury, had the first chair next to the coaches while 11th-year veteran Keith Bogans, who plays sparingly, sat next to him. The rest of the team followed after with levels of experienced mixed in across the sideline.

The order shifted when rookie Kelly Olynyk suffered a sprained right ankle on November 22 in a game against the Indiana Pacers. Dressed in a suit, he initially sat next to Bogans. During his injury, the order changed again. Olynyk began taking in games one chair up the bench flanked by Bogans and Rondo. Bogans made the decision to help the rookie learn in the midst of the action.

“ so he could talk to ‘Do (Rondo), sit in between the two of us,” Bogans explained. “We could talk to him about the game a little bit, educate him a little bit. He’s a young guy. He needs to learn. [i]put him between us, listen to what we’re talking about.”

Olynyk, 22, was the 13th overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. The Celtics had their sights set on the versatile big man from Gonzaga University and acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks that night. He immediately showed his potential during the Orlando Pro Summer League, where he averaged 18 points and 7.8 rebounds, and was voted the biggest steal of the draft in NBA.com’s GM Survey.

He quickly earned minutes on the Celtics roster in training camp and started in six of his 14 regular season games.

“The thing about Kelly is he makes your team better when he’s on the court,” head coach Brad Stevens said during the preseason.

Olynyk averaged 7.5 points and 5.4 rebounds in 22.6 minutes prior to his injury. There was room for improvement, part of the rookie learning curve. He shot a combined 6-for-20 from the field in his previous two games before spraining his ankle. Even though he has not played in nine straight games, including Tuesday’s contest against the Brooklyn Nets, he is finding out about pro basketball from a different perspective.

“I try to learn as much as I can [watching the games next to my teammates],” Olynyk said. “It’s a great opportunity. You’re there for three hours, critiquing the game. … [It helps] just being able to see what drives success at this level and what works, what doesn’t work, how guys like to play, that sort of stuff. You can learn everything. A lot of times it just comes down to playing hard, playing smart, playing tough.”

Sitting in between a savvy veteran and one of the top point guards in the league has bolstered that learning experience. Both Olynyk and Bogans emphasized the educational value watching a game next to Rondo.

“He’s like a coach,” Bogans said. “He’s into the game the whole time, he knows everything that’s going on, pays attention to everything.”

Echoed Olynyk, “He’s real intellectual. I learn tidbits from the game, angles, good stuff, bad stuff. It’s like a tutorial basically.”

Olynyk is working to return to the court, and when he does he will have years of his teammates’ experience to add to his own.

“It’s a great opportunity, to learn to grow, to become a better player,” Olynyk said. “It’s something you can’t take for granted.”




bob
MY  NOTE:  Oh dear, my little boy is growing up right before my eyes.  <sniffle, sniffle>




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