Kelly Olynyk updated to QUESTIONABLE on Raptors injury report

We’ve waited some time to hear this update, but Kelly Olynyk appears close to returning to live NBA basketball. He has been updated to QUESTIONABLE on the Raptors injury report.

To this point, Olynyk has missed the entire season due to back spasms. An elder statesmen of the NBA and a fulcrum of the Raptors offense, the dynamic passing and shooting big man is a huge part of the Raptors both as a player and as a leader.

Evidenced by the Raptors struggles anytime Jakob Poeltl (who is also questionable for the game against the Mavericks) leaves the floor, they require a hub of a big man to help move them through their actions on offense. Olynyk can immediately step into that role and provide value.

Olynyk averaged 12.7 points per game, 4.6 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game last year for the Raptors across 28 contests – where he started 19 of them.

There’s also a huge opportunity for Scottie Barnes to reclaim some of his pick n’ roll prowess as the shooting and spacing that Olynyk provides at the big man position will help create more looks for the Raptors star. The Raptors, who are 5-4 across their last 9 games, are finally starting to get healthy and we may finally have a chance to see a rotation take root.

On media day, Olynyk expressed a lot of optimism for Darko Rajakovic’s system and coaching style, and spoke about how eager he is to be a part of it. It will be great to see Olynyk back in the lineup and providing the Raptors with the finesse aspects of his game. The team has already made major strides on the defensive end of the floor, so it will also be interesting to see how they navigate Olynyk’s defensive struggles at the big man position.

Have a blessed day.

The post Kelly Olynyk updated to QUESTIONABLE on Raptors injury report first appeared on Raptors Republic.