https://youtu.be/-Szw2ggTgyk
I’ve spent some time opining on the legend of KOSLE (Kelly Olynyk Summer League Edition), and specifically how KOSLE is getting unleashed to a new degree now that he’s in Houston rather than Miami. Houston just needs competent scorers to keep games moderately competitive (but not scorers who are competent enough to disrupt the forward progress of the tank), and Olynyk fits that bill perfectly. Meanwhile, he was underutilized on Miami due to the presence of Bam Adebayo.
But in all my discussion of KOSLE, I’ve neglected to bring up another of Olynyk’s ideal incarnations: KOCC. Kelly Olynyk Contract Chaser. Since Olynyk is in a contract year right now, it’s in his best interest to play as well as possible in order to trick some team into thinking that he can be a valuable long-term piece for them. That’s the whole KOCC ethos, to play big minutes for the Rockets’ squad of bums, put up good numbers on good percentages, and then get hella paid.
I have to say, this strategy is working out pretty well for KOCC. Olynyk’s entire career has been spent averaging roughly 10 PPG per game on decent percentages, basically being the prototypical “decent but unspectacular” player, but in eleven games for the Rockets, he’s averaging almost 18 PPG per game on 59% shooting. This is while his main partners in crime are Christian Wood (plays the same position as Olynyk), John Wall (totally washed), and Kevin Porter Jr. (unproven youngster). GM’s are going to look at these stats and be totally enamored, and they might not realize that KOCC is a one-time thing caused by the fact that Olynyk is almost thirty and is looking at his last big payday before he begins his inexorable slide into irrelevance.
Basically, what I’m saying is that some team is going to get KOCC’ed hard this off-season, and a year or two from now, that team is not going to be happy that they embraced the KOCC so eagerly.