Dirk Nowitzki politely shoots down comparison to Kelly Olynyk
Over the past couple months, Celtics center Kelly Olynyk has shown flashes of what the team imagined he would be when they drafted him with 13th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Since. Nov. 28, Olynyk is fifth in the NBA in three-point shooting at 48.3 percent.
After Olynyk’s 13-point second quarter against the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, Celtics color analyst Tommy Heinsohn didn’t hold back in lauding the Celtics big man, comparing him to the Dallas Mavericks’ future hall of famer — another seven-footer with range — Dirk Nowitzki.
The Celtics legendary broadcaster said that Olynyk has “the potential to better than Dirk Nowitzki,’’ and ESPN’s Tim MacMahon asked for Dirk’s take on the bold remark after the Mavericks’ 118-113 win over the Celtics on Monday night.
Nowitzki, as nicely as he could, shot it down.
“Yeah, I mean, I like the kid,’’ Nowitzki said. “I’m just not sure about all that. But I really do like him. He’s a good shooter. He’s improved from year to year, so I do wish him the best. He can be a really good player, but I don’t know if his ceiling is all the way up there.’’
Nowitzki, who sits eighth all-time in the NBA in points and second only to Kobe Bryant among active players, tallied 31 points and 11 rebounds en route to the Mavs’ victory, including a clutch corner triple in overtime to put the game out of reach.
“He’s got a long way to go,’’ Dirk added.
The greatest Boston Celtics of all time
[bdc-gallery id=”118766″]
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com