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The Time Is Now for Boston Celtics Big Man Kelly Olynyk

By Tarringo Basile-vaughan

Mar 31, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) blocks the shot of Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk (41) during the fourth quarter of the game at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Trail Blazers won 116-109. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) blocks the shot of Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk (41) during the fourth quarter of the game at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Trail Blazers won 116-109. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /
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The time is now for Kelly Olynyk. Can the Boston Celtics 7-footer take the next step in entering his third season in the NBA?

The Boston Celtics will enter the 2016-17 NBA season with many questions. With the addition of four-time All-Star Al Horford, the green team is expected to be one of the top teams in the east. Most of those expectations center around the core of players who are returning from last year’s team, mainly fourth-year man Kelly Olynyk.

Blessed with a rare offensive skill set, the Celtics 2013 first-round draft pick will be shooting for a bigger role on the team. With the departure of Jared Sullinger, Olynyk will certainly have the chance to become a major contributor, especially playing alongside Horford.

If he struggles, however, he may have a hard time finding minutes with Amir Johnson, Tyler Zeller and Jordan Mickey also vying for minutes in the frontcourt.

Celtics
Mar 23, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk (41) brings the ball up court during the second half against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /

While Olynyk has made his biggest contributions off the bench, the Gonzaga product does have what it takes to win a starting role. Health and consistency on the offensive end will be keys to making that happen. He will also need to improve on defense. Although his defensive rating was tops among centers who played at least 20 minutes per game during last season, his rebounding has been on the decline since his rookie year. His rebounding average dropped from 5.2 per game to a career-low 4.1 last season.

The addition of Horford should take some of that responsibility away from Olynyk, but a man his size still needs to be a presence down low.

If the defense and rebounding does improve along with his 3-point range, Olynyk certainly has the ability to be that stretch big man head coach Brad Stevens adores. His shooting of 40.5 percent on 3s last season was tops among NBA big men and makes Olynyk a nightmare to defend, but again, he needs to be consistent with his offensive aggressiveness to make a steady impact on a team that lacks a reliable go-to guy in key moments of the game.

Perhaps that has been what has been most frustrating about Olynyk thus far in his career. The skills are certainly there for him to be one of the top big-man shooters and scorers in the league. Injuries and a lack of aggression on the offensive side of the ball at times have held him back and could be a reason he has yet to receive the contract extension he is eligible to sign prior to the Oct. 31 deadline.

Although the front office seems content and patient with Olynyk’s progress, he may have to prove that he is worth the long-term financial commitment. The cap hit the team would take by extending Olynyk at this time could take them out of the hunt of pursuing some of the top free agents in 2017.

Talent, along with a potential big payday is what makes this a make-or-break season for Kelly Olynyk. He certainly knows it. While some of the factors are out of his control, the main one he controls is his production on the floor. Now is the time for him to demonstrate he can be an important player in the NBA.

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