Kelly Olynyk is no Dirk Nowitzki, but he’s starting to shoot like him
COMMENTARY
Kelly Olynyk’s development in a Celtics uniform has been a roller coaster ride, but signs of progress are popping up much more regularly in year three for the seven-footer.
Monday’s game against the Mavericks was the latest example of that development. The 24-year-old hit a career-high five 3-point shots off the bench, finishing with 17 points in Boston’s 118-113 overtime loss in Dallas.
Overall, Olynyk hit 5 of 6 attempts from beyond the arc, pushing his 3-point shooting accuracy for the season up to 42.1 percent. That’s far and away the best mark on the Celtics roster and is also good for 13th overall in the NBA, ahead of fellow sharpshooting big men like Dirk Nowitzki.
Olynyk’s hot shooting streak is even more impressive when you break down his numbers over the past six weeks:
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Long-range accuracy like that from the young seven-footer may prompt more comparisons of Olynyk to Nowitzki from Tommy Heinsohn, but Dirk attempted to prematurely put an end to those after Monday’s game.
“Yeah, I mean, I like the kid. I’m just not sure about all that,’’ Nowitzki said when asked about the comparison to Olynyk, via ESPN. “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. He’s got a long way to go.’’
Olynyk needs about 27,000 more points to match the career of the future Hall-of-Famer, but he’s definitely starting to show shades of his three-point range in the meantime. That’s a trend the Celtics would love for him to keep up.
Meet the 2015 Boston Celtics
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