Kelly Olynyk signed a four-year, $50MM deal with the Heat this offseason, but he insists that his decision to come to Miami was about more than just the money. Coach Erik Spoelstra has used wings and big men as the team’s primary ball handler in the past, which is something that intrigues Olynyk.
“It’s awesome,” Olynyk said (via Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel) “Just that freedom to be able to play easy and free and not super-regimented is huge. I think it helps everybody out. It helps everybody’s skills, to be able to just kind of go with the flow and make things happen. That’s something that looking at Miami and talking to Spo and what his vision is and how they play, it’s something that’s very intriguing.”
The Gonzaga product talked about how he couldn’t have anticipated the ups and downs of free agency and added that he’s thrilled with his ultimate decision.
“You never really know about free agency until you actually go through it, and you don’t realize how crazy it really is,” Olynyk said. “But I’m blessed with an opportunity to be down here, really excited to get started down here.”
Olynyk has already found the practice courts and was able to get some work in alongside his new teammates in Miami. Hassan Whiteside was one of the players who were able to hit the practice courts with Olynyk and the two big man have already developed a friendship.
“He’s a great guy, a great character, a super nice guy,” Olynyk said of Whiteside. “But he’s a beast. I’m really excited to play with him and be able to play with a guy of his size and his abilities on the floor, defensively, offensively, on the glass. He’s awesome to be around and [I’m] really looking forward to playing with him.”
Olynyk, who plays both power forward and center, should see major minutes next to Whiteside this upcoming season. The 26-year-old is a career 36.8% shooter from behind the arc, something that will allow Miami to play the two 7-footers at the same time while maintaining good spacing.
I am really going to miss Olynyk this season. I mean granted the Celtics recovered by landing Hayward and Baynes, but Olynyk I think is going to be fantastic in Miami if he gets a chance.
Playing Olynyk next to Whiteside will be a defensive nightmare. No way Olynyk can guard the perimeter against stretch fours or small ball fours.
Not really. KO’s defense has vastly improved since he came into the league. Sure he’s still an average defender, but he won’t be a nightmare.
The biggest problem for him is staying out of foul trouble plus he’s not the greatest at defense. A bad combo if you ask me. But, the guy will haul in 50 million bucks by the time he’s 30! He might be a sub par defender but he sure knows how to set himself up financially for life by the time he’s 30.
He will be a star on the Heat, Riley always finds talent.