Miami Heat: 3 goals for Kelly Olynyk in 2018-19

2. Demand the ball and get more touches

Despite being a seven-footer, Olynyk possesses the requisite skills to act as an additional playmaker for the Heat. Throughout his high school career in his native Canada, Olynyk acted primarily as a point guard until the 11th grade, at which time he shot up from 6’3″ to 6’10”, hence moving him to playing in the post on a more regular basis.

However, as we saw over the course of last season, getting the ball in Olynyk’s hands on a more frequent basis meant good things for the Heat. He averaged 50.3 touches per game, ranking fifth on the roster in this department. However, a more accurate measurement was his frontcourt touches.

In 76 games, Olynyk averaged 30.2 frontcourt touches per game, which ranked fourth on the team and was not far behind team-leading Goran Dragic at 34.2 per game. Notably, it was the impact on the team that was felt the more Olynyk had the ball in his hands.

In 38 games in which Olynyk had at least 30 frontcourt touches, the Heat recorded a 25-13 record, equivalent to a 54-win pace. Overall, the following can help illustrate the effect of having the ball in Olynyk’s hands:

• Heat win – Olynyk averages 31.9 frontcourt touches
• Heat lose – Olynyk averages 27.3 frontcourt touches

From an individual game perspective, the most impactful was Olynyk’s performance on March 21 against the New York Knicks. In 30 minutes of play, he led the Heat with 71 overall touches and 40 frontcourt touches, the latter being 14 greater than the closest Heat teammate. As a result, it was no accident that Olynyk produced a career-high 10 assists in addition to 22 points and five boards.

However, one area that will need some refinement if Olynyk is to feature more heavily in the offense is his turnover rate. Last season, he averaged a career-high 1.9 turnovers per game, and furthermore in averaging 3.0 per 36 minutes, ranked second on the Heat only behind Dwyane Wade. Notably, in the eight games in which Olynyk committed at least four turnovers, the Heat produced a 3-5 record.