Kelly Olynyk is known for being a rough & tumble, do the dirty work, physical type player. Here is what he will be known for after this season for the Miami Heat.
The Miami Heat are entering this season with what should be some of their highest expectations in a few seasons. They have added a star, gotten rid of some excess baggage, while some of their current players have seemingly taken a step forward in their development.
As they have traded he who is not to be named to the Portland Trail Blazers, that creates a void in the big man rotation for the Miami Heat. While most will immediately assume that current Heat big man Bam Adebayo should automatically step into that role and take on the mantle as the next great Miami Heat big man and current leader in the rotation, that may not be the case.
While Bam has an excellent chance to do just that and should be motivated considering that he was cut from the U.S. National Team recently, he may only be a part of what the Heat choose to do from a deploying of the bigs perspective this season. You have to remember that in correlation with sending the former Miami Heat big to Portland, they received Meyers Leonard back.
While he has yet to show that he could be the full time starting big man for any team during his time in the league, perhaps a change of scenery and confidence could bolster him into that role. While that could be the case with Leonard, Kelly Olynyk may have something to say about both of the aforementioned scenarios as well. That segues into the bold prediction for KO in this upcoming season.
Kelly Olynyk will be the best big man for the Miami Heat this season
While Bam Adebayo may seem like the homerun pick here, KO actually may have a leg up. While Adebayo played slightly more minutes per game last season than Olynyk, where Adebayo and the former number 21 had a perfect identical split when it came to their 23.3 minutes per contest while Olynyk played 22.9 minutes per contest, that doesn’t exactly scream superiority from Bam’s perspective.
If you take a look at their numbers, they aren’t that much different. Adebayo averaged 8.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per contest and Olynyk averaged 10 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. While Bam had a slight uptick in the rebounds and assists category, Olynyk had a slightly better scoring average.
The numbers aren’t what separates them or makes this prediction likely though. What makes this prediction likely is the fact that KO is more versatile at the moment. Yes, Adebayo is capable of doing everything that Olynyk can do, but can he do as much or at a similar volume?
Another part of this versatility speaks to what is known as lineup versatility. Whereas Adebayo would be comfortable in spurts playing beside another big man interchangeably either as the four or the five-man, Olynyk can do it at all times. Not only can he play alongside another big as either the four or five, but he is capable of quickly making the adjustment from lone big in the game to being a part of a duo.
This is something that can’t be said for certain of either Adebayo or Leonard. Adebayo has spent most of his basketball career in or near the paint, while Leonard has sort of become a guy that does his best work on the perimeter since entering the pros.
The only one of the three main big options for the Miami Heat that has constantly shown that he can successfully play wherever the lineup dictates over a sustained period of time is KO. That is why this is his bold prediction.