Houston Rockets: Key takeaways from the 2020-21 season

Houston Rockets takeaways: Kelly Olynyk finds his groove in Houston

When Kelly Olynyk was traded to the Rockets many Houstonians were puzzled and had a reaction similar to this: “Really? The best player we could get for Oladipo, a two-time All-Star, was Kelly Olynyk?”

This reaction seemed fair given that while the veteran 6’11” big man had been a solid role player in his seven years in the league, that was all he was — nothing more than a role player who could give a team quality minutes off the bench.

Olynyk proved everyone wrong as soon as he arrived in Houston, scoring 16 points on 5-8 shooting in his first game as a Rocket to go along with four boards, four assists and three steals.

The former Gonzaga star only got better as his time in Houston progressed.  Olynyk was a consistent and reliable source to score, as he put up 20 or more points in 15 of his 27 games as a Rocket and shot the 3-ball at an extremely high clip, 39.2 percent to be exact.

Defensively, Olynyk used his quick hands to generate steals, tallying 1.4 per game. Although he is not an elite shot blocker, Olynyk used his size to be a solid rim protector and help boost the Rockets defense in the paint.

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Overall, Olynyk produced on both ends of the court, putting up All-Star type numbers over his 27 games in Houston — 19 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

In just a short amount of time, the Rockets unlocked Olynyk’s potential as someone who can be a valuable contributor to the team over the long haul, assuming he re-signs with Houston.

While Olynyk will be a free agent come the offseason, there’s a high chance he will be wearing Rockets red for years to come as he acknowledged how well he likes his fit within Silas’ system because he feels like he can play the role that he stived to fill his whole career prior to coming to Houston.

On top of that, Olynyk hinted at a possible return to Houston on his Instagram page, recently posting a picture where he thanked the Rockets fans for embracing him with open arms and ended his post saying,  “Can’t wait to get back to work this off season. H-Town Hold It Down!!!”

While no one expected Olynyk to even be a Rocket at the start of the 2020-21 season, much less be such a valuable contributor to the team and play at an All-Star level, it is safe to say that Houston has found something in Olynyk and should do everything possible to re-sign him.