Team Canada nailed how to use Kelly Olynyk in the 2023-2024 season.
Kelly Olynyk is going to have an interesting time with the Utah Jazz in 2023. The long-time big man is looking at the end of his current deal and could be traded away as part of a bigger deal at some point in the season. He’s one of a few guys that make sense to trade, including Talen-Horton Tucker, and either Jordan Clarkson or Collin Sexton.
If the Jazz opt to trade Olynyk, then this is a moot point, but if they opt to hang on to him, they may find themselves with a very useful player. Likely coming off the bench, Olynyk, will provide a unique set of skills for the second unit.
While Olynyk has largely been a starter for most of his career, the power forward/center combo player will now make room for Walker Kessler and John Collins, but that may not be a bad thing for him or the team.
After watching how Olynyk became a necessary piece for the Canadians’ offense, the Utah Jazz may now have a bulletproof plan in place to use him in a very effective manner. And the best part is, it’s not too dissimilar from what the Jazz did with him in the prior season.
Last season, the Canadian big averaged 12 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Pretty good, all-around numbers, for the big man. But those were stats with the first team. This year, he’ll be likely coming off the bench, but that actually should help Olynyk.
We saw that Team Canada would run stretches of their offense through Olynyk at times, resulting in multiple nights where he’d have four or even five assists in a game. Now, in Utah, with the team desperate for any sort of reliable passing option, the team could turn to Olynyk off the bench.
If Kris Dunn, arguably the team’s best option for a true point guard, does in fact start, then Olynyk can become a versatile passing big off the bench. A junior version of Nikola Jokic in a way. His ability to distribute should come in handy when playing alongside Collin Sexton, Keyonte George, and Tayler Hendricks, among others.
He may even be able to lead the team in assists off the bench, depending on how long he’s on the team and how eagerly he embraces such a role. We already know that he made the Canadians instantly better, as for a while, Olynyk’s lineup with the Canadians had them as the third most effective offense in the World Cup.
Olynyk can bring that offensive versatility to the Utah Jazz’s bench, and give them one of the more efficient second units in the game today.