Miami Heat: Kelly Olynyk coming to life at the right time

After a couple of rough months, Kelly Olynyk appears to have rediscovered his confidence and place in the Miami Heat rotation.

The Miami Heat‘s season didn’t start well for Kelly OIynyk.

Following an interrupted training camp due to the knee injury he sustained while playing for his native Canada in the offseason in preparation for the FIBA World Cup, Olynyk played a total of just 24 minutes over the Heat’s preseason schedule.

With this in mind, it came as little surprise that the versatile Olynyk struggled mightily coming out of the gates, averaging just 5.8 points per game on 28.1 percent shooting from the field in the opening five games of October. And while he turned things around in November, the months of December and January were a mighty struggle, averaging just 5.8 points in 14.2 minutes per game while converting at a 35.9 percent clip from 3-point range.

During this time, Olynyk had eight games in which he played nine minutes or less, and a further six where received the dreaded DNP – Did Not Play Coach’s Decision.

However to his credit, and the patience of the coaching staff, Olynyk has turned things around in February. This has particularly been the case over his last four games, where the 28-year-old has posted 11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals in just 19.0 minutes per game. Specifically, it’s been is deadly efficiency from the perimeter that has stood out, hitting on 12-of 17 (70.6 percent) attempts from 3-point range during this time.

Following his latest excellent performance during a crucial win over the Dallas Mavericks, head coach Erik Spoelstra was full of admiration for Olynyk’s turnaround:

"“He’s been putting in the time, and he has been trending in a good direction the last 2-3 weeks. That’s just what you have to do, you have to continue to prepare, and then when your number is called try to be productive for your team, whatever the minutes are, and the role….it was great to see him really contribute in the fourth quarter and build on some of the things he’s been doing.”"

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Against the Mavericks, Olynyk totaled 13 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and three triples in only 19 minutes of action. This represented the second time in the space of seven games in which Olynyk has dished out least nine dimes, the other being a career-high 11 in just 21 minutes in a win over the Golden State Warriors. It’s this level of versatility that sets Olynyk apart at 6’11”, thus giving the Heat a terrific level of flexibility when formulating their lineups.

And while his playing time has remained relatively modest, the impact of his play has not been so subtle from a statistical standpoint. For the month of February, Olynyk has recorded comfortably the best offensive rating on the team with a 128.2 rating. Furthermore, since Feb. 10, Olynyk’s incredible 136.0 offensive rating leads the league among the 260 players averaging at least 17 minutes per game.

Looking ahead, and with the Heat rotation having somewhat settled since their recent multi-player trade, Kelly Olynyk appears every chance to consolidate on the strides he’s made in recent weeks. With his confidence seemingly at an all-time high, the Miami Heat will certainly be looking to cash-in on their extra-versatile big man.