What’s next for Kelly Olynyk?

In more ways than one, Kelly Olynyk’s basketball career has come full circle.

When the long-haired, 6-foot-11 Canadian first arrived to Gonzaga’s campus some 15 years ago, he was a highly-touted recruit who was seen almost like a guard with how he could play on the perimeter. While the modern NBA game features plenty of 7-footers who could dribble and shoot 3s, most big men back in Olynyk’s days traditionally got their buckets around the rim. Especially the ones who played at Gonzaga.

Olynyk struggled as a freshman in a limited role. As a sophomore he lived on the perimeter, where he shot 44.4% from 3-point range, though he averaged just 5.8 points after putting up 3.8 points per game the season prior. Due to an abundance of big men in front of him and a concussion, Olynyk decided to redshirt during the 2011-12 season.

Olynyk spent the year off working on the weaknesses in his game in an effort to earn more playing time from Mark Few. When he returned for the 2012-13 season, a much more filled-out Olynyk emerged as a dominant low-post scorer and was a consensus All-American with 17.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Again, this was a time when players like Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson and Demarcus Cousins were seen as the cream-of-the-crop at the power forward and center positions in the NBA. Isolation post-ups were still very much a part of the game. In fact, the league-high for 3-pointers made per game for a team in the 2012-13 season was 10.9 by the New York Knicks — this past season, the Orlando Magic ranked last in the league with 11.0 3-pointers made per game.

Outside of a select few, most post players weren’t asked to be playmakers either. Essentially their duties were to rebound, defend the paint and score near the rim on offense.

Over the last decade, the NBA game shifted away from traditional big men. As the 3-point shot became more prevalent, spacing and pace were of the upmost importance on offense. Some back-to-the-basket post players adapted to the change, though many others did not.

Olynyk didn’t need to adapt his game to remain relevant though — if anything he needed basketball to catch up with him. 

As big men were granted more freedom on offense, Olynyk’s basketball IQ came to shine. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra started to unlock Olynyk’s potential as a playmaker by allowing him to make more decisions with the ball in his hands. Olynyk posted an 18.7% assist rate with the Heat in 2017-18, which had been a career-high to that point.

Since then that rate has continued to increase, and in his 10th season as a pro, Olynyk posted a 27.6% assist rate and dished out 4.4 assists per game, both of which are career-highs. He also set a new personal benchmark with a 17.4 player efficiency rating and shot 38.7% from 3-point range. On top of it all, Olynyk had a homecoming after the Utah Jazz traded him to the Toronto Raptors in February. 

And thus, the circle is complete. Olynyk, a native of Kamloops, British Columbia, was back in his home country playing his brand of basketball. 

While his game doesn’t stand out like Nikola Jokic or Domantas Sabonis, Olynyk shares certain tendencies with both All-NBA big men. He understands and knows how to use angles to his advantage on drives to the rim, his vision is well above average for a power forward and he can space the floor. Olynyk doesn’t put up gaudy numbers to show for, but that shouldn’t overshadow the fact that his game is suited for the modern NBA.

The Raptors appear to think so, as they signed Olynyk to a 2-year, $26 million extension in March. Of course, that hasn’t slowed down the trade rumor mill. Olynyk’s name has popped up around the trade deadline over the past few seasons, and his name continues to come up in trade speculations heading into the offseason.

For now, the 31-year-old is likely focused on representing his home country on its historic trip to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Team Canada, which is making its first Olympic appearance in men’s basketball since 2000 this summer, figures to be stacked to the brim with NBA talent, headlined by Oklahoma City Thunder’s All-NBA guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Canadian men’s national team has yet to confirm its roster, but after his performance last summer at the FIBA World Cup, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Olynyk make the final cut.