Kelly Olynyk’s offensive development has been spurred the last two seasons by an insistence from Brad Stevens that the young big man lose his inhibition with the ball.
Olynyk’s 34-point performance for Canada during a loss to Venezuela in the semifinals of last month’s FIBA Americas Championship 2015 had to be heartening for that reason alone. Though Olynyk suffered a minor knee injury early in the tournament, Celtics management didn’t panic.
Some NBA types, including Dallas owner Mark Cuban, are against the idea of allowing their players into international competition. Count the Celtics coach among those who believe development is more important than risk.