Kelly Olynyk tops All-Rookie Second Team, first Celtic newbie to make list since Rajon Rondo


Over the past several seasons, the Celtics have focused more on veterans than rookies. The team was busy trying to win titles, not develop young players.

Now that the Celtics are rebuilding, the young guys are getting more run and in the case of Kelly Olynyk, that seems to have paid off in the eyes of the league.

From NBA.com:

The NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of the Boston Celtics’ Kelly Olynyk (119 points, 19 First Team votes), the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (116 points, 15 First Team votes), the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Gorgui Dieng (96 points, 21 First Team votes), the Charlotte Hornets’ Cody Zeller (67 points, three First Team votes), and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Steven Adams (65 points, nine First Team votes).

This is the first time a Celtic rookie has been given the honor since Rajon Rondo in 2007.

It's no secret that I was less than enthused when Boston took Olynyk in last year's draft, but the kid can play. He's a good scorer and his passing is better than I expected. Olynyk needs to work on his rebounding and his defense is nowhere to be found, but he has all the makings of a rotation big.

This should be an interesting summer for Olynyk and the rest of the Celtics as the team is poised to make some major moves and no one is safe. I'd put the odds at 50/50 that Olynyk is wearing green again next season since he could easily be included in a trade, given his skill set and cheap rookie contract.

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