NBA Draft 2013: Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk Player Profile

Here we continue to look at the top prospects for the 2013 NBA Draft. Today we examine:

Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk is ready for the 2013 NBA Draft. (Photo credit: SD Dirk)

Kelly Olynyk, Forward, Gonzaga, 7’0”, 238 lbs

2012-13 Collegiate State Line: (all stats courtesy of ESPN.com)

17.8 points, 62% field goals, 30 % 3-point field goals, 77% free throws, 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 2.4 turnovers

The Skinny:

Kelly Olynyk burst onto the scene at Gonzaga in the 2012-13 season, becoming one of the best players in the nation simply by redshirting before his junior season to work on his game. What he got out of this experience was a highly developed skill set that rivaled the top forwards in the country. He was a dominant force for the Bulldogs and led them to the first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in Gonzaga history. Now he’ll be taking his talents to the NBA.

Strengths:

At 7’0”, Olynyk had little trouble dominating the paint against the rest of the West Coast Conference. He’s really developed a strong post game, shooting 58 percent on his post-up attempts during the season. While he’s comfortable posting up his defender, he’s also very comfortable finishing baskets on cuts and picks-and-rolls with his point guards. He’s efficient in finishing at the basket whenever he gets close. He’s also not one to shy away from shooting jumpers, converting 48 percent of his jump-shot attempts.

Olynyk moves his feet well for a big man, ala Dirk Nowitzki. There are times he will get beat on defense, but he has the length and ability to position his body to alter the shot regardless. Opponents spent most of the time trying to get spot-up jumpers over Olynyk, but he still gave his opponents fits. Offensive players attempting to spot up on Olynyk only converted 34 percent of their shot attempts, a quality rating for a big man playing along the perimeter some.

Kelly Olynyk’s biggest asset to an NBA will be his motivation and confidence level. Not many players who see some playing time in college willingly take a redshirt year just to improve themselves. Olynyk did this and succeeded remarkably well. He knows his strengths and weaknesses and doesn’t play outside what his skill set allows him to. He’s a smart player.

Check out some highlights that explain Olynyk’s dominance throughout the West Coast Conference:

Weakness:

Despite being 7′, Olynyk doesn’t have a lot of muscle on him. He’s done a great job of bulking up over the last two years or so, but with the level of competition elevating from WCC players to NBA all-star forwards, Olynyk may find out early that he needs to bulk up. This also plays into the fact that Kelly doesn’t necessarily like to force his way into the paint. He’s a finesse player and does it well. However, that is not going to work all the time in the NBA.

Olynyk’s biggest asset as a big is his footwork. Except all the NBA-level forwards have great footwork as well as a physically dominant presence. Don’t be surprised to see him bullied around his first year or two in the league. He’ll have some growing pains at first but he’s already shown at Gonzaga he’s willing to work on every facet of his game to improve.

While he’s gotten more comfortable with his three-point shot, Olynyk doesn’t like to shoot the 3 unless he’s wide open. This is unfortunate because Kelly only shoots 35 percent when he’s unguarded. Most 3-point attempts by Olynyk appear to be short-armed and awkward. This could change with the longer 3-point line, but it is something worth noting for somebody that likes to take perimeter shots regularly.

Highlight Game:

Jan. 5 at Santa Clara (W 81-74) 33 points, 12-for-15 field goals, 1-for-1 3-point field goals, 8-for-9 free throws, 10 rebounds, two blocks

Kelly Olynyk showed his dominance against Santa Clara in this game. He got to the basket with ease, finished his easy opportunities and even showed off his perimeter range throughout the game. He was active offensively all game long, which led to those easy opportunities to score.

Lowlight Game:

March 9 vs. Loyola Marymount (W 66-48) eight points, 3-for-10 field goals, 2-for-2 free throws, eight rebounds, four assists

Olynyk didn’t have many bad showings throughout the season, but Loyola Marymount made him uncomfortable inside the paint and shut him down offensively. Most of his shot attempts came under duress while trying to draw the foul, but he only managed two free-throw attempts all game. This showed the weaknesses in Olynyk’s inside game. While he’s polished up nicely, he has some work to do to gain physicality in the paint.

Potential Landing Spots:

Kelly Olynyk went from a seldom-used reserve to a star forward for Gonzaga to a top-10 prospect for the 2013 NBA Draft. It doesn’t hurt that many of the top prospects (Marcus Smart, Glenn Robinson III, Mitch McGary and others) have decided to return to school. Look for Olynyk’s stock to rise quickly in the weeks leading up to the draft.

Teams That Make Sense:

New Orleans Pelicans: Yes, the team stationed out of New Orleans has offically been dubbed the Pelicans starting next season. New name, new attitude? Maybe, but Kelly Olynyk might be a nice addition to help that transition. Pairing him along with Anthony Davis and Eric Gordon could open up the floor dramatically for the Pelicans. Although I think New Orleans should go for the best available player, they could take a long look at Olynyk and pull the trigger on the ever emerging post.

Sacramento Kings (Or the Seattle Kings or whatever they end up becoming): It’s not necessarily an ideal pick for the Kings but this year isn’t exactly an ideal draft class either. Depending on where the Kings end up drafting, they could be very limited with remaining top talent. Bringing in Olynyk would allow DeMarcus Cousins to slide over to a more natural power forward position or give Cousins someone to spell him throughout any game and provide a nice tempo change to a depleting offense.

Overall Synopsis:

Kelly Olynyk has put in the work to become a star at Gonzaga over the past two years. He’s going to be an interesting name to keep an eye on, especially since his stock could keep climbing if more prospects end up returning to school. Gonzaga will miss him production, but several NBA teams would love to have him.