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WALTHAM, Mass. – Avery Bradley has been experiencing a sense of déjà vu as he’s watched Kelly Olynyk progress through his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery.
Olynyk suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder in mid-February and has been fighting to regain his strength and confidence ever since. It’s a situation that Bradley has been through, having undergone surgery on both of his shoulders during his NBA career.
Now, as Olynyk nears his potential return, Bradley has taken it upon himself to become a mentor for his teammate, knowing that there are still obstacles that likely lie in Olynyk’s path to full recovery.
“I told him, ‘You’re going to have some days where you come in and you might make shots. Then you have your week when you might not (be) making shots,’” Bradley relayed to Celtics.com after practice Saturday afternoon.
“So he just has to stay confident, and for us as his teammates it’s just making sure that we’re helping him stay positive and making sure he’s in here getting his shots up, which I know Kelly will.”
Olynyk made a big step toward his return Saturday afternoon, as he participated in contact drills for the first time since his surgery in May.
“He was limited” said coach Brad Stevens, “but he did some five-on-five, he did some contact, he did some one-on-one contact, so he did a lot more than he’s done (throughout the preseason).”
Olynyk said there is no timetable on his return because he doesn’t want to rush back to full participation too soon. However, he added, “[The shoulder] is feeling good. The strength is coming, the stamina is coming; it’s just a matter of getting it where we want it to be before we put it at risk.”
Bradley said Olynyk “looked good” during his first contact practice, but based on the veteran guard’s past experiences, he expects it will take some time for Olynyk to completely find his rhythm again.
“That muscle memory, you have to get it back,” said Bradley. “It’s just reps; that’s what it took (for me). It took maybe a good month for my shot to feel good again, and it will probably be the same for Kelly. Hopefully not, but if it is, I’m going to be there to make sure that he’s positive.”
Bradley said that not only will it likely take time for Olynyk to regain his muscle memory, but it may also take time for his confidence to fully return.
“It’s still in the back of your mind that it’s going to happen again,” said Bradley. “[Kelly] might not want to drive it to the basket as much or box out the same way or be aggressive, but we have to give him that confidence and he has to do his work as well, staying in the weight room and making sure that he’s strong.
“But we’re here to help, especially me as his teammate. I’ve taken him to the side like five times already, like, ‘I’m here, bro. Whatever you need me for, I’m here.’ So I’m just happy that he’s back because I know he’s been waiting to get back on the court.”
While Olynyk is gradually upping his practice intensity, he reiterated that he has to remain patient and not rush back to live game action too soon.
“You don’t want to force it,” said Olynyk. “You don’t want to push anything and go backwards at all. Every day you come in here you want to take a step forward, and that’s the goal every time I come into this facility, every time I wake up: To take a step forward toward playing. And once you’re there, you want to be there and not be pulled in and out of the lineup.
“So for me, it’s all about when (I’m) comfortable and when I feel like I’m ready. And then I’ll be back.”
Until that time comes, Bradley will be with Olynyk each step of the way, mentoring him through the remainder of his recovery.