Miami Heat: 5 goals for Kelly Olynyk in 2017-18

1. Become a regular starter

Although primarily a center throughout his career, Olynyk’s versatility and skill-set would allow him to shift between the 4- and 5-spots, depending on whether or not Whiteside is on the floor.

Of course, the main obstacle standing in Olynyk’s way to become a regular starter is incumbent forward James Johnson. Although Johnson came off the bench for 71 of his 76 games, his impact was profound, coming fifth in voting for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.

But Johnson finished the season on fire as a starter over the final five games of the season, averaging 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 36.1 minutes per game. Therefore, the Heat now face the conundrum of whether or not to sacrifice Johnson’s impact off the bench by inserting him in the starting lineup on a more regular basis.

However, the alternative is to start Olynyk alongside Whiteside as the team’s stretch-4. While not on Johnson’s level athletically, Olynyk demonstrated an admirable level of intensity on the defensive end last season.

Over the season, Olynyk ranked seventh in the league for centers for contesting 3-point shot attempts at 2.7 contests per game. On a per-36 minute basis, he ranked first in the league among centers who played in at least 60 games at 4.8 per game. With Whiteside notoriously sticking close to the rim on the defensive end, Olynyk’s ability to get out and contest the 3-point shot provides the Heat with an invaluable asset at the defensive end of the floor.

Furthermore, Olynyk averaged 2.3 deflections per game, and had five games in which recorded three steals.

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So while it would be a big step up having started in just 36 games in four seasons, Olynyk’s overall skill-set and versatility would be a welcome addition to the Heat’s starting unit.