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Ankle injury forces Kelly Olynyk to sit out showcase game, but his career is off to a strong start and he’s eager to play for Canada.Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Before Kelly Olynyk was a seven-foot centre for the Boston Celtics, he was an agile, sharp-shooting 6-foot-3 guard in Grade 10 in Kamloops, in the British Columbia interior.

Olynyk grew – but never lost his shooting touch.

In his second season in the NBA, his ability to knock down three-pointers has become a considerable asset. It has helped put Olynyk, for the second time, on the roster for the Rising Stars game, a showcase of first- and second-year players voted on by NBA coaches that takes place Friday night during all-star weekend.

Olynyk won't play, as he recovers from an ankle injury, but he will be in the city for the weekend. The 23-year-old has quickly made a name for himself. He became a sudden star in college two winters ago with an amazing scoring touch at Gonzaga University before he was picked No. 13 in the 2013 NBA draft. Now, he emerges as a player who can stretch the floor – provide space for his team on offence by being a threat from in close as well as able to step back and hit threes.

As a rookie, Olynyk attempted roughly one of five of his shots from behind the arc. This season, it's close to one of three – and he's maintained an accuracy of 35 per cent, in line with the league average and especially solid for a big man.

"The three is such a great weapon," Olynyk said in a telephone interview from Boston last week. To do it as a seven-foot centre is rare. The list of reliable three-point shooters who stand 6-foot-11 or taller is short. Among true seven-footers, only three players have even attempted at least 100 three-pointers this season: Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas, Spencer Hawes of the Los Angeles Clippers and Olynyk.

For now, Olynyk works to rehabilitate his right ankle. Three weeks ago, he came down on the foot of another player as they vied for a rebound. Olynyk had injured the same ankle last season. This time, he tore a few ligaments, according to Boston coach Brad Stevens – a "typical to a bad sprain."

In last year's Rising Stars game, Olynyk was Canada's sole representative and did well – a starter who hit four of five shots for nine points. With Olynyk out, Canada's man on Friday night in Brooklyn will be Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the favourite to win rookie of the year. Wiggins will help lead Team World against Team USA in a new format for the Rising Stars game.

Second-year Canadian pro, Anthony Bennett, the No. 1 pick in 2013 and a teammate of Wiggins in Minnesota, missed the grade again as his pro struggles extend into his sophomore year. Nik Stauskas, a rookie picked No. 8 by Sacramento in 2014, is another Canadian who missed the cut because of so-so play.

"It would be cool, but I don't think I'm deserving of it at this point," Stauskas said frankly in late January in Toronto. Stauskas eyes Rising Stars next year when the all-star game is outside the United States for the first time, in Toronto, home of Stauskas, Wiggins, Bennett and other young Canadians.

Olynyk, meanwhile, knows early NBA gains are only initial steps as a pro. The second Rising Stars nod means he's "trending in the right direction," but there have been too many ups and downs this season. He began the campaign as a starter at centre for the Celtics but was soon moved to play solid minutes off the bench on a team.

The gains have been steady. As a rookie, Olynyk averaged 20 minutes a night in 70 games, starting nine, and scored nine points a game on 47 per cent shooting. This year, it's 25 minutes a night in 40 games, starting 13 times, scoring 11 points a game on 51 per cent shooting.

Highlights include a run of nine games in December scoring at least 10 points with a career-high of 30 against Philadelphia. He also sunk 23 points in Toronto in January – hitting eight of 11 from the field. But there have been enough nights when he shoots poorly. He's been blanked four times.

"Consistency," said Olynyk of what he and every young player seek. "I've had some great games and games that weren't as great."

To his father, Ken Olynyk, former national junior team coach and athletics director at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, his son is slowly deploying what he can do on offence. The senior Olynyk pointed to increased use of a step-back jumper.

"Kelly has a repertoire that he hasn't yet put into his NBA game offensively," Ken Olynyk said. "You're starting to see him add things to his game."

Beyond the Celtics, Kelly Olynyk is poised to be a key member of Canada's national team this summer as the men aim to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Olynyk has national team experience and could be a starter alongside players such as Wiggins, Cory Joseph of the San Antonio Spurs and Tristan Thompson of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The promise is there. Bill Simmons, the Grantland.com editor and superfan of Boston sports, recently jawed about Olynyk averaging 17.5 points a game for the Celtics several seasons from now while knocking down almost 40 per cent of his threes.

"He could be a really good player," Olynyk's coach, Stevens, said after Olynyk's 30 against Philadelphia in mid-December. The same night, Rajon Rondo – before he was traded – said, "He just took his shot tonight. He wasn't second-thinking. If he can do it every night, which is tough, he'll be a great player in this league."

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