Best Case / Worst Case: Can the Raptors avoid playing Kelly Olynyk at the five?

Locked On Raptors - Daily Podcast On The Toronto Raptors

Kelly Olynyk is almost certainly a better player than the one we saw struggle for Team Canada at the Paris Olympics, but can the Toronto Raptors keep their big man in positions to succeed throughout this coming season? In Episode 1703, Sean Woodley goes solo to talk about the best, worst and most likely outcomes for Olynyk in his first full season as a Raptor and why the position he's asked to play by the coaching staff is probably going to go a long way in determining how successful he is. Off the top, Sean digs into why playing Olynyk as almost exclusively a stretch four is the way to go for the Raptors this season, as his issues in the Olympics highlighted how ill-equipped he is to play as a center at this point in his career. Can he get heavy run next to Jakob Poeltl in core lineups? And can Jonathan Mogbo and/or Bruno Fernando prove up to the task of soaking up the majority of the backup center minuted behind Jak? If they can, Kelly should cook. Next, Sean digs into why playing too much center could spell trouble for Olynyk and what happens if his worst-case season comes to pass. Lastly, Sean digs into the most likely course of Olynyk's season to take, which probably involves a majority of his minutes coming at the four next to rebounders and rim protectors who help compensate for his weaknesses, while he provides the offensive wheel-greasing and shooting that made him such a valuable contributor to the plucky Utah Jazz over the last couple seasons.

Join us over on the Locked On Raptors Discord ahead of the new season, would ya? https://discord.gg/FZS2Rgbu

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