Kelly Olynyk Interviewed by Grantland for his “NBA Job Interview”

Jan 5, 2013; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Kelly Olynyk (13) after a play against the Santa Clara Broncos during the second half at Leavey Center. The Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the Santa Clara Broncos 81-74. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Grantland mastermind Bill Simmons has been doing a series where he and ESPN colleague Jalen Rose converse with top NBA prospects about the process of being drafted. Yesterday, their interview and analysis of Kelly Olynyk hit the internet, and they had some interesting things to say about the former Gonzaga center.

In the video interview, Olynyk handled himself extremely well, and answered all of Simmons and Rose’s questions with a genuine disposition. Bill Simmons introduced the prospect of Olynyk running the high screen and roll with Spurs point guard Tony Parker. Wouldn’t that be fun to watch. Olynyk also pronounced that the player that he would most like to go against in the NBA would be Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitski. The full video is below.

The analysis portion of Olynyk was not as positive as the interview with Simmons. Grantland writer Brett Koremenos acknowledged Olynyk’s vast potential, but also acknowledged that Olynyk had a lot of flaws to his game.

"But when watching Olynyk on film, some serious flaws begin to emerge. While blessed with good size, solid coordination, and a high skill level, Olynyk has short arms — he posted just a 6-foot-10 wingspan — and generally plays belows the rim, using great footwork to find ways to finish with his dominant right hand. Olynyk may also lack the strength to establish good position in the post, something that could drastically affect his ability to get off the same high-quality shots that led to his incredible True Shooting Percentage of 67.5 this past season. He’s just 22, so there is still plenty of time for Olynyk to safely add more power to his game with some work in the weight room, but there’s also a chance his potential as a post-up threat is a product of facing inferior competition."

Later in the article, Koremenos compared Olynyk to Channing Frye, as a good shooter that cannot match up with overbearing size or elite quickness on defense, something that he is guaranteed to see in the NBA.

On the brighter side of things, Koremenos mentioned Olynyks high basketball IQ, and compared him to Brad Miller. Not a bad comparison for Olynyk.

"Best case, Olynyk combines elite shooting with his excellent passing skills and high IQ and has a game reminiscent of former Chicago and Sacramento center Brad Miller."

This was a nice showcase of the former WCC superstar, and I would recommend reading it. Check it out here