Written by Dillan Grant
image by BasketballBuzz
Olynyk has already proven his high level leadership qualities this past summer by helping Canada qualify for the 2024 summer Olympics in Paris, France. The young talented offensive arsenal that is the Oklahoma City Thunder lacks one thing, a veteran player. The Canadian compadres Shai Gilgeous-Alexander(SGA) & Luguentz Dort were just the beginning of OKC's illustrious rebuild. With the new additions of Chet Holmgren, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams & Poku, this team has become electric at the offensive end. Not only does OKC have various ways to score they also have committed to a selfless team defence that has helped them obtain a stellar 22-9 record in the 2023-24 season thus far. Now other than a much needed haircut, Kelly Olynyk would not only help as the centre of the defence while he's on the floor but also acts as a fantastic passing big man who can facilitate the many other scorers the basketball. On top of this he can rebound on both sides of the floor as well as continue his high efficient shooting percentage ( currently 54% on the season). Oklahoma's biggest potential problem other than being young with less experience in the playoffs is they do not have another centre on their roster who can confidently backup Chet when he needs rest or if he happens to get hurt. The last thing you want on a playoff team is when one of your stars gets hurt you have no one else who can step up with experience in that role or situation. Olynyk is currently on the last year of his deal with an expiring contract with 12.9M guaranteed on the Utah Jazz. This is a great opportunity for Utah to get something for him before he becomes a free agent. With a whopping 14-19 record it is apparent that the Mormons favourite ball club have no shot at winning a title this year. OKC's biggest superstar SGA has already played with Kelly on team Canada so the comradely & winning together already exists between the two. I believe that the Thunder should be very active before the trade deadline to move picks or other young talent like Oliver Starr or Kenrich Williams for Canada's captain if they want to make a deep run in this seasons playoffs.
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