Miami Heat big man Kelly Olynyk is back in Miami being evaluated by team doctors after suffering a bone bruise in his knee in Canada's exhibition game last week.
Olynyk suffered the injury against Nigeria after slipping on what seemed to be a wet spot on the court.
Kelly Olynyk is in Miami being evaluated by Heat re: bone bruise he suffered on his knee in Canada's exhibition game vs. Nigeria last Thursday. As much as Olynyk wants to play at World Cup I can only presume the team will have a lot of input on what ends up happening.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) August 13, 2019
Kelly Olynyk will make $11.7 million next season with the Heat, so the team will certainly be cautious with him moving forward. Since NBA players don't get paid to play in the FIBA World Cup, they are always taking a big risk even though representing their country is a big honor.
Olynyk averaged 10.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game last season for the Heat while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from beyond the arc and 82.2 percent from the free-throw line.
After acquiring four-time All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler this summer from the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami is expected to make the playoffs next season and make a decent run. For that to happen, though, the Heat will need Olynyk to be healthy and productive.
Depending on the severity of Olynyk's bone bruise, he could miss a few weeks or an entire month. We won't know for sure until the Heat do more tests.
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