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DraftKings Post-Ups: Olynyk Available for Game 4

Sunday, Arpil 24 - Hawks vs. Celtics

Pregame - Olynyk Available for Game 4

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics missed Kelly Olynyk’s frontcourt presence during Games 2 and 3 of their first round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks after the 7-foot big man re-injured his right shoulder during Game 1.

It appears that will not be an issue tonight, however, as Olynyk has been cleared to play in Game 4, according to head coach Brad Stevens.

“We’ll play it by ear see how the game’s going and everything else and see what direction we decide to go,” Stevens said regarding Olynyk’s projected participation level. “But certainly it’s great that he’s available and certainly [there’s] a chance that he plays for us.”

Olynyk said yesterday that his shoulder was still sore after taking a hard hit during Game 1 last Saturday, but things have improved drastically since then.

“It’s definitely feeling a lot better,” Olynyk said an hour and ten minutes before tip-off. “There’s not as much pain, more movement. You never know until you’re really out there, but it’s at a point where [I’m] able to at least give it a try, so we’ll see how it turns out.”

Olynyk’s absence has hindered Boston’s ability to space the floor, so his possible return means Atlanta’s players must be on their toes, according to coach Mike Budenholzer.

“He’s a skilled 4-5 guy, a big guy, that fits in their offensive system well with the [dribble-handoffs] and pick-and-rolls and his ability to spread the floor and shoot,” said Budenholzer. “I think we’ve played Olynyk quite a bit during the regular season and obviously Game 1. Hopefully our guys will be aware and understand what we need to do if and when he plays.”

If Olynyk does play, that gives the C’s the option to play more traditional with two bigs and not lean so heavily upon a small ball approach.

“We’ve had to play small quite a bit in this series to be effective,” said Stevens. “I think that we’ll continue to do that from the start with Jonas [Jerebko] at the 4 and we’ll go from there.”

Stevens says that since Olynyk hasn’t been very active this week, he will likely be limited if he does play. Regardless, it’s a solid step in the right direction as the Celtics need as many bodies available as possible against this Hawks team.

- Taylor C. Snow