The Miami Heat are a day away from tip in the Eastern Conference Finals. One of the biggest reasons for such is Kelly Olynyk, an often underappreciated guy.
The Miami Heat are almost less than 24 hours out from an Eastern Conference Finals tip-off. Think about that.
After the last few seasons of being stuck in professional sports and NBA purgatory, the Miami Heat are now one of the best teams in the league, top four even and one of the two best teams in the East.
The Miami Heat are often times that forgotten franchise. The national media seemingly hates to talk about them and when the Heat are so good that they make the media bring up their name, it’s often just to tell you how much they don’t believe in what we have going on down in Miami.
That tends to get under our skin as fans, but we understand it and bask in the glow of their hatred. That fact there though makes this next fact a bit confusing, confounding, and downright maddening to me.
Why don’t we, as fans, appreciate Kelly Olynyk more? Everything about our organization, from excelling at the little things to just doing work while being underappreciated screams… Kelly Olynyk.
When you see trade talk and free agency come up, one of the first names you hear fans pushing out of the door is KO. Let me tell you all something.
Other than guys named Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic, Kelly Olynyk has been our best and most consistent player in the playoffs. He is about tied with Bam who has had some lulls, so they are 3rd and 4th here in my rankings, interchangeably.
The Miami Heat wouldn’t be where they are without Kelly Olynyk’s key contributions. Appreciate the man and the player more, would you?
People (like our very own NBA division leader in Josh Wilson, Hi Josh) have said in conversations that “you can find most of his contributions to relatively replaceable on the open market”. This is true.
They are all out there on the market, all of his skills. Let’s ask this though, how many of them can you find in one person?
In all fairness, he knew that “Kelly having all the little things in one package” was the point I would then make. In fact, that was my exact response there.
KO gives the Miami Heat perimeter skills, shooting, playmaking, toughness, peskiness, pettiness, and size. He’s the ultimate love him if he’s on your team, hate him if you’re playing against him guy.
He’s the guy that does every single one of the “little things” that you need and want, but don’t notice until they are gone. Have I mentioned that if not for him, the Miami Heat are likely not in the Eastern Conference Finals?
I thought I did. That was just to drive it home though.
So, with that, this is my request. Appreciate Kelly Olynyk!
If he wasn’t here, you would notice all of the things he does for our team when on the floor not being here either. These are facts. Just watch the games.
That’s why I ask you… I implore you… no, I flat-out beg of you when I say… we really have to start appreciating Kelly Olynyk more!