Kelly Olynyk’s Veteran Presence Is Quietly Powering the Spurs’ Youth Movement
DALLAS - You won’t find Kelly Olynyk lighting up the box score or logging heavy minutes for the San Antonio Spurs this season. But if you think that means he’s not making an impact, think again.
The 13-year NBA veteran, who’s suited up for eight teams and played in over 800 games, has become a key figure behind the scenes in San Antonio’s rebuild - especially when it comes to mentoring the Spurs’ young centerpiece, Victor Wembanyama.
“Kelly’s been a very unique perspective because he’s been around this league and seen the real NBA,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said. “We have quite a few guys that have been with just our team and sometimes your perspective, when it’s that narrow, is misleading at times. For Kelly, who’s been part of teams that have won at a high level and that have lost a lot of games, his perspective has been invaluable.”
That veteran lens has been critical for a Spurs team still finding its identity. Olynyk has appeared in just 30 of San Antonio’s 54 games heading into the All-Star break, averaging under 10 minutes a night. But his influence stretches far beyond the hardwood.
Wembanyama, the 2023 No. 1 pick and already one of the league’s most intriguing young stars, has leaned on Olynyk’s experience - especially on the defensive end.
“The remarks he makes, especially defensively, he’s got good guidance,” Wembanyama said after a recent win in Dallas. “He sees things that I personally don’t always get right away. It’s great I can trust what he’s going to tell me.”
That trust is earned, not given - and Olynyk has earned plenty of it. He’s embraced his role as a mentor, offering wisdom from the perspective of someone who’s made a career out of outsmarting opponents rather than out-jumping them.
“Coming from the player’s perspective that doesn’t have the physical, athletic attributes that he (Wembanyama) has,” Olynyk said, “but I have a high IQ for the game and see a lot of different things happening on the floor. Just trying to show him what I see and how he can make his life easier.”
The message is simple but powerful: Even the most gifted players benefit from mastering the fundamentals. And Olynyk, who’s built a career on doing the little things right, is the perfect example.
“Sometimes to be great, you’ve got to do the common things uncommonly well,” he said. “He has the ability to do that at a high level.”
Olynyk knows something about building from the ground up. After a breakout season at Gonzaga in 2013, he was drafted 13th overall and traded on draft night to Boston, where he began carving out his niche as a skilled, stretch big. Since then, he’s become a journeyman in the best sense of the word - playing for Miami, Houston, Detroit, Utah, Toronto, New Orleans, and now San Antonio.
And while San Antonio might not be the most high-profile stop on that list, it’s one Olynyk clearly values.
“It’s a different culture (in San Antonio),” he said. “It’s very out of the way, out of the limelight, out of the media.
They stay in their own lane, but they do it really well. It’s a great organization that has all the tools in place.
They know how to win. They know what it takes to win and they do it their own way.
That’s special.”
That culture fits Olynyk’s personality - understated, steady, and focused on the bigger picture. It’s also reminiscent of his time at Gonzaga, where he became a household name and, in 2022, had his No. 13 jersey retired.
Since Olynyk entered the league, Gonzaga has become a full-fledged NBA pipeline. And he’s proud of the role he played in helping to build that foundation.
“In the past, there was Rob (Sacre) and Adam Morrison. I was one of the next guys who was a first-round, lottery guy,” Olynyk said. “We started a trend, especially with the transfer guys redshirting and doing that kind of thing.”
That trend has blossomed. From All-Stars like Domantas Sabonis and Chet Holmgren to rising contributors like Jalen Suggs, Rui Hachimura, Corey Kispert, Brandon Clarke, and Andrew Nembhard - the Zags are well-represented across the league.
And now, another name is joining that list: Ryan Nembhard, Andrew’s younger brother, who went undrafted but earned a two-way deal with Dallas and has impressed enough to be in line for a full NBA contract.
Olynyk has taken notice.
“(He’s) very under the radar. He plays at his own pace,” Olynyk said.
“He’s confident, plays both ends of the ball, he knows what he does and goes out and does it. You can see how much he likes to play basketball.
He’s a hoop junkie and just goes out and has fun.”
That love for the game - and the ability to seize opportunities - resonates with Olynyk, who knows the league doesn’t always follow a straight line.
“I’ve been traded five times the last two years,” he said. “(I look at being traded as) new opportunities, go out there and make the most of it. You’re still blessed to wake up and play the game you love every single day no matter where that is.
“I tell these young guys sometimes a change of scenery is fun. Fun to go to a new place and meet new people, grow your network. You never know where life’s going to take you.”
Wherever life takes him next, Olynyk’s basketball brain isn’t going anywhere. Coaching could be on the horizon - though he’s in no rush.
“I tell everybody I think I could be a good coach,” he said. “It would be an easy transition.
It’s just the office work and everything else that goes with it. Maybe we’ll see.
If the situation and the place is right, it’s something I would look into.”
For now, he’s focused on helping San Antonio maintain its spot near the top of the West. The Spurs, currently sitting at 38-16, are three games behind defending champion Oklahoma City.
And while Wembanyama might be the face of the franchise, Olynyk is one of the steady hands helping guide it from behind the curtain - one quiet conversation, one defensive tip, one moment of mentorship at a time.