Pat Riley on Kelly Olynyk’s hairstyle: ‘I don’t give a damn’
Miami Heat president Pat Riley likes a lot of things about his newly signed center Kelly Olynyk.
“He is not only a post player, he can also play away from the basket,” Riley said, via The Miami Herald. “What we like the most is that he is a playmaker, tough defender and rugged rebounder. At just 26 years old, he fits in perfect with our young core that will play together in their primes.”
But one thing he couldn’t care less about is the 7-footer’s hairstyle choices.
7. Finally, this on Olynyk: “Long hair or man bun, I don’t give a damn.”
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) July 10, 2017
Speaking to reporters at a roundtable chat on Monday, the team’s executive said he doesn’t “give a damn” as to whether Olynyk fashions his luscious long locks in a man bun or with a headband. However, a quick gander at the big man’s stats from the most recent season may have Riley thinking otherwise.
ESPN’s Chris Forsberg has kept close tabs on the correlation between Olynyk’s on-court performance and his hairstyle choice for the night. And the results are pretty telling. In all the monitored statistical categories, the 26-year-old played better when his hair was in a man bun.
Hope Heat put a clause in Kelly Olynyk’s contract that he has to rock the manbun in Miami. Stats from the 2016-17 season: pic.twitter.com/JpjJXjXS1R
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) July 6, 2017
While he might score more points and have a higher shooting percentage with trendier of the two hairstyles, Olynyk said he doesn’t pay close attention to the patterns.
“You know, there isn’t a lot of science behind it,” he told Forsberg, via ESPN. “It’s kinda however I’m feeling. I feel like if something is not working, I have to switch it up. So I kinda go back and forth.”
