The Toronto Raptors certainly aren’t off to a good start in the 2024-25 season. They currently own a 7-17 record, 12th in the Eastern Conference and sixth-worst in the NBA. On Saturday, they fell to the Dallas Mavericks by the score of 125-118. It was their second-straight loss after they were defeated in blowout fashion by 37 points to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Still, they have been playing better as they won five of eight prior to their last two outings.
Toronto at least was competitive against the reigning Western Conference champions on Saturday. They also saw Kelly Olynyk make his return to the court after he missed the first 23 outings.
Raptors See Productive Return From 12-Year Vet In Season Debut
Kelly Olynyk Doesn’t Miss A Shot In Return To Action
For the first time in the 2024-25 season, the 33-year-old Olynyk stepped on the court for a regular season game on Saturday. Despite the loss, it was refreshing to see the 12-year-veteran in action without looking the least bit rusty.
The 6-foot-11 center had a perfect shooting evening in his first outing. Sure, it wasn’t a lot of shot attempts, but it was impressive nonetheless. He attempted three shots (all threes) and connected on all of them. Olynyk also went 4-4 from the charity stripe giving him 13 points in just 14 minutes of action. He also grabbed four rebounds, recorded two steals, and dished out an assist. Toronto was a +1 while Olynyk was on the floor.
A back injury shelved Olynyk up until Saturday. Michael Grange of SportsNet.ca wrote on Olynyk’s return, and reported Olynyk stating this after his debut.
“Playing basketball is what I love to do. So you know, whenever you get to wake up and play basketball, it’s a great day. Obviously, it took a lot longer than I wanted, probably the team wanted, everybody wanted, but those kind of things happen. You’ve got to take your time. You can’t rush it, but it’s nice to get back out there and get into the flow of things.”
Not only was it great to see Olynyk back, it was great to see him as an impactful player from the get-go.
Signed Through 2025-26 Season
The Raptors acquired Olynyk at last season’s trade deadline. He was dealt along with Ochai Agbaji from the Utah Jazz in exchange for Kira Lewis Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and a 2024 first round pick (Utah selected Isaiah Collier with that pick). About a month later, Toronto signed Olynyk to a two-year, $26.25 million extension.
Last season, Olynyk played 28 games (19 starts) with the Raptors after the trade. In 26.4 minutes per game, he posted averages of 12.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.3 steals. Olynyk shot 54.8% from the field, 33.8% from three-point range, and 82.4% from the foul line.
Could he be a trade target for contending teams if Toronto fades from postseason contention?Olynyk’s contract is definitely a reasonable one for a team to add via trade. If Toronto can’t go on a run to get closer to playoff contention, one has to wonder if the Raptors will deal him to a contender.
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