Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk Nation's Most Underrated

        Gonzaga is making serious strides at becoming a Top 5 team with their sixth straight win since the season's only loss against Illinois. And junior forward Kelly Olynyk is exactly the reason why. An agile 7-footer with a smooth perimeter shot and strong developing post moves, Olynyk redshirted last year to develop his skill set. Now, this may be his last season playing for Mark Few as many scouts refer to the Canadian forward as a mid-first rounder.

        Given Olynyk's agility and versatile offensive game, opponents have yet to find a way to slow him down. He rank second in the country in true shooting percentage; he is making 71 percent of his 2-point field-goals, including 66 percent of his jump shots and 33.3 percent of his long-distance 3-pointers.

        The aspect of Olynyk's game that scouts reference the most is his improved strength, allowing him to operate in the paint at a much more efficient rate this season versus season's in the past. Olynyk put on a noticeable 20 pounds during his redshirt season in 2011-12.

        Look at his dominance in Gonzaga's past four games, which include wins over Baylor and Oklahoma State: 23 points, and 7 rebounds in just 27 minutes per game. Gaudy production like this, dominating inside scoring, deft outside shooting and sold work on the glass means Olynyk could be Gonzaga's next first round draft pick in 2013.


By NBA-DRAFT.com Staff Writer - 1 -6- 13