There's nothing easy about recovering from a shoulder injury, but Boston Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk vows to come back stronger than ever. And now, he has a deeper understanding of how his style of play can benefit his team.
Speaking to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, the Gonzaga product answered the question if he's looking forward to playing again this year after suffering the season-ending injury last February, just before the all-star break.
“Definitely. Definitely, man. Waiting for the snow to melt.”
Olynyk also discussed how he learned to play basketball and how his game was different growing up compared to now that he's playing at the highest level:
“I grew up a point guard. My dad taught me everything I know about the game, and his thing was that you should be an unselfish player — you know, make the people around you better and lift the level of your teammates.”
“I never grew up being a super assertive, super impose-your-will player. I was more of a team-first, completely unselfish, behind-the-scenes guy, and I think flipping that switch isn’t easy. But when you’re on this level and on this stage and that’s something that needs to be done and your team is asking you to do, you have to. They want me to come in and assert my will and be aggressive and score and use my skill set to help us win basketball games.”
Now that he's close to returning, the 25-year-old Canadian will look to contribute to the Celtics by asserting himself more on the offensive end. He knows that in doing so, he can help his teammates become more effective.
“Shooting is a vital skill in the league today. It just makes guys like Isaiah (Thomas) and Marcus (Smart) and Terry (Rozier) and Avery (Bradley) . . . they’re 10 times more effective when they can get in the lane and make things happen, drive and score or kick out to shooters. Teams can’t double and help as much. When everybody on the floor can shoot the basketball, you’re really, really tough to guard. Even if you’re not making shots, you’re drawing people away from the basket. Your presence is valuable more than the untrained eye can see.”
Entering a contract year also gives Kelly Olynyk extra motivation to play better. Should he stay true to his word and help his team win more games, he can definitely secure heftier paydays for him in the future.
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