All of six games into his tenure with the Raptors, Kelly Olynyk is about to have a significant role in the final 24 games of the regular season.
If any concerns about the health of starting centre Jakob Poeltl arise, what Olynyk gives — and what he’s already shown in a very small sample — is big for Toronto.
The veteran, obtained from Utah at the NBA trade deadline along with Ochai Agbaji for no real cost, is a perfect fit for the style the Raptors want to play.
He’s an adept passer and a shooter with deep range, he’s honed skills over 11 NBA seasons to play with a high basketball IQ and is developing impressive chemistry with the likes of Gradey Dick and Immanuel Quickley
And if Poeltl is out, Olynyk will be vital.
There is no update on the ankle sprain Poeltl suffered in the third quarter of Toronto’s win in Indiana on Monday and coach Darko Rajakovic downplayed its severity immediately after. But Poeltl missed 11 games with the same left ankle sprain early this season and there has to be some concern that he’ll miss at least a game or two or three.
That the Raptors lost nine of the 11 games Poeltl sat out speaks to his importance, but at least having Olynyk as a spot starter is welcome. Toronto would have to elevate Olynyk to the starting lineup — with more responsibility and minutes — because there are no real options for Rajakovic.
Jontay Porter has filled in at times, but he’s not nearly as capable as Poeltl. Porter also can't seem to stay healthy for any stretch of time.
Thad Young, who filled in admirably in Poeltl’s absence, was shipped to Brooklyn along with Dennis Schröder at the deadline so the Raptors could purge some guaranteed money next season.
And Chris Boucher, who has fallen out of the rotation, just doesn’t seem to have the coach's trust or confidence in any legitimate way. Rajakovic is insistent that the Raptors protect the paint as their defensive foundational tent-pole and Boucher’s not good enough in the role. He is a wonderful offensive rebounder, thrives in transition and creates havoc, but that’s in small pieces, not as a starter.
“We had great conversation the last couple of days on expectations from him. I still want more from him,” Rajakovic said of Boucher the last time that he played meaningful minutes in a Feb. 14 loss to Indiana. “I still want him to be more disciplined in some defensive execution that we talked about during the game, and that's going to be a great challenge for him going forward.”
Olynyk doesn’t have the same skills near the basket as Poeltl, but his passing and shooting is precisely what the Raptors want offensively. Toronto’s offence is based on ball movement, player movement and off-the-ball cuts. Olynyk is an excellent facilitator in that, far better than Poeltl in many ways because he can pop to shoot while Poeltl’s range is limited to the paint.
Olynyk, who has averaged 8.8 points, four rebounds and 2.8 assists in six games with the Raptors, just unlocks more possibilities.
The perfect world, of course, would be to have both to give opponents different looks. But that may not be possible if Poeltl’s not healthy for any length of time, so there is only one option for Rajakovic. That's to start Olynyk, ramp his minutes up and do as much piecework as possible for the rest of the time.
Maybe it’s a few minutes for Boucher in the guts of the game to take advantage of his energy while living with his troubling manner to freelance too often. Or maybe it’s going small for a few minutes of each game. Let Scottie Barnes be the de facto centre, run out Bruce Brown as a tiny frontcourt defender and let RJ Barrett guard bigger wings.
It’s not a perfect answer, but with the Raptors at least in sniffing range of the play-in playoff tournament they owe the roster — and the fans — a chance to ride what’s been successful rather than wave the white towel on the season.
Maybe the Raptors will dodge a bullet and Poeltl will be fine so they can once again run out a terrific complementary pair of centres.
But in the worst-case scenario, Olynyk, who’s been a Raptor for such a short stint, becomes even more important in what passes as a playoff race these days.