Kelly Olynyk has been going off for the Miami Heat in their recent play, which is sparking conversation on who he really is as a talent.
Who would’ve thought that Miami Heat fans would be arguing over how legit Kelly Olynyk is at this point in the season. But that’s where we are after game one in Orlando.
Olynyk exploded for 20 points in the fourth quarter of Miami’s restart win over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, sparking quite the conversation between Heat fans on social media.
He finished with just those 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and four-of-six from behind the arc with five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block each.
Olynyk hasn’t always been a knockdown shooter from deep, no that’s been a development this season, with the forward connecting on a career-high 43 percent of his 3-point shots.
He’s only shot 40 percent or better from deep in just one of the last six seasons. And it wasn’t all jumpers, no, the seven-year veteran emptied his bag of tricks all over the Nuggets defense.
The list of Miami Heat players to score 20 or more points in a fourth-quarter starts with Dwyane Wade and ends with Kelly Olynyk–that’s the list. Not only was Saturday his season-high in points recorded this season, but also the highest-scoring quarter of his seven-year career!
Fans started talking about the forward after his 27-point performance in their scrimmage loss to the Utah Jazz on Saturday. The two performances combined suggest he might be in for a larger role down the stretch. Is the 29-year old forward suddenly coach Erik Spoelstra’s x-factor?
He’s averaging just 7.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists as a spot starter for Miami this year.
But the versatility of his offense comes at a very obvious price: a lesser effort and execution on defense. So says the Heat fans at least, who’ve been clamoring for Spoelstra to give Olynyk’s minutes to any of the two-way talents, potentially Kyle Alexander.
Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, hell, even bench captain Udonis Haslem. With those guys, you know what you’re getting. But Kelly Olynyk’s offensive spasms are just that–sudden, rapid, and more often than not–absolutely random.
Kelly Olynyk and the Miami Heat will look to make it two consecutive wins on Monday when they face the reigning champion Toronto Raptors. Tip-off is at 1:30 pm est.