Kelly Olynyk finding his groove after ankle injury

When Kelly Olynyk suffered a sprained ankle in Portland on January 22, early reports were optimistic that he may be able to return following the All-Star break. Instead, he was forced to sit out an additional two weeks, and only came back on March 4, when he played just seven minutes and went 0-for-3 from the field in a win over the Jazz.

Over his first three games back, Olynyk struggled to find his shooting touch, going a combined 2-for-17 from the floor, including 0-for-4 from downtown. But things started to click in Miami on Monday night, when he shot 4-for-9 and had 10 points, and he had his best post-injury game against the Grizzlies on Wednesday, connecting on six of 12 shots for 15 points with six rebounds and three steals in just 20 minutes, earning him the prestigious Tommy Award.


By most accounts, Olynyk has had a solid sophomore season, but the emergence of Jonas Jerebko as a viable stretch five in smaller lineups threatened to take playing time away from him. The Celtics would like Olynyk to approach the form he showed in December, when he averaged 13.5 points and shot 53.8 percent from the field. At any rate, if he can build on the momentum of the last two games, his place in the rotation will be safe.

Follow Nick García on Twitter @N_A_Garcia

Image credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images
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