There has been beef between Kelly Olynyk and the Cleveland Cavaliers for years. After a long career, the onetime villain looks to be nearing the end as he begins to fall apart on the court.
No one has ever looked at stretch-big Kelly Olynyk and concluded that he is a physical specimen, an athletic marvel. He does stand seven feet tall, which matters in the game of basketball, but he is not an imposing figure.
For a player with his build to carve out a 12-year NBA career is impressive, and it has taken Olynyk leaning into the things that he can control: skill, preparation, and hustle.
That hustle has not always endeared him to opposing fans, and the Cavaliers are no exception. Olynyk began his career with the Boston Celtics and battled against the second version of the LeBron James Cavs. His "hustle" crossed the line, and in one infamous moment, he fought Kevin Love for a rebound and dislocated Love's shoulder, tearing ligaments and ending his season.
The Cavaliers went on to fall short of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, and it was easy for Cleveland fans to point the finger right at Kelly Olynyk and his flowing locks. No matter where he has traveled since -- eight teams now, from the beaches of Miami to the tundra of Toronto to the mountains of Utah -- he has remained on the list of Cleveland public enemies.
Olynyk was traded to the San Antonio Spurs this summer where he has operated as the third big behind Victor Wembanyama and another former Celtic, Luke Kornet. There was hope that his ability to stretch the floor would create a three-headed monster that would break defenses on both ends of the court.
Kelly Olynyk is falling apart
That vision has failed entirely, and not because Kornet and Wembanyama have fallen short. Olynyk has been one of the worst big men in basketball, shooting just 25 percent from 3-point range and 48.5 percent overall. Never an elite defender, Olynyk has become a massive liability on that end. When Kornet and Wemby are off the court, opponents run to the rim like they are in a layup line.
The one elite skill that Olynyk brings to the game is his shooting; he is a career 36.9 percent shooter from deep and has been over 40 percent multiple times over the last few years. Even that has deserted him now, and he has made just nine 3-pointers all season on 36 attempts.
Olynyk is essentially out of the rotation, and wouldn't even be playing at all if Wembanyama wasn't still on a minutes limit. In his most recent game on Thursday, he was dusted off for 10 minutes; he was 0-for-1 from deep and finished -15 in a game the Spurs won by 18.
It's never fun to celebrate a player's demise, but many Cavaliers fans will be glad to never see Kelly Olynyk's face again. Cleveland may have won the title the next season, and Kevin Love may have gone on to have some key playoff moments, but in the eyes of fans, Olynyk cost them the title in 2015.
The ultimate Cavaliers villain is now reaching his own end, and it would not be a surprise for Kelly Olynyk to be out of the NBA by next season.