Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

After a tough December in which he shot just 30.8 percent from the 3-point line and averaged 6.5 points, Olynyk has responded in January, averaging 11.7 points and making 47.6 percent of his 3-point attempts (10 for 21). In the 12 games Olynyk has scored in double figures this season, the Celtics are 10-2.

“That’s big for us,” small forward Jae Crowder said of Olynyk’s production. “For him to step up and make shots and opposing teams trying to take away the shots and get a switch, he’s able to bury the switch and get a bucket. That’s like playoff-type basketball. That’s what we need him to do for us, especially when he’s making shots. He’s got to be able to roll and switch and get a bucket or be a passer.”

And the 25-year-old Olynyk has surprisingly become a solid defender as well as an improved playmaker. Against the Hawks, Olynyk provided resistance to All-Star Paul Millsap and was able to get into position to draw charges and challenge shots. Olynyk still picks up his share of fouls because of shaky decisions, but he said he’s worked on improving himself.

Boston Globe: Celtics cooking with healthy Kelly Olynyk in the mix

Here we are again with Kelly Olynyk. Friday night proved that when he’s got it going, the Celtics are a tough team to stop offensively. Olynyk came in early and immediately started knocking down open 3’s to punish the Hawks for focusing too much on Isaiah Thomas.

However, it’s not always this way with Kelly. Some of it is his fault, some of it isn’t. All of it, though, could mean his time with Boston is almost over, and another team may end up benefiting from his maturation down the road.

You can call him soft if you want… we all know he was never drafted to be a banger in the post. Olynyk is a stretch big whose job has always been to float around perimeter and shoot. If you are upset that he doesn’t do the dirty work down low then that’s on you and the expectations you set in your own head. That’s not Kelly’s game and it never will be. I will give you that it’d be better if he could more properly box out more often and grab an extra rebound or two, but that’s as far as I’ll go on the “soft” criticism.

We can all agree that his pump fakes when he’s pretty wide open are annoying. Somehow he’s got it in his head that he’s more of a threat to get blocked than he really is. I wonder if his shot, which has a low release point, contributes to his fear of being blocked. Here I have Kelly side by side with Al Horford at about the same point in their shots.

Olynyk’s arm is still pretty bent. You’ll see on his follow-throughs that he never really gets full extension on his arm, which means his shot always stays pretty low, making it easier to contest. Horford, by contrast, ends up with almost full extension on his shot, giving it a higher release point and making it tougher for defenders to get a hand on it.

So maybe Olynyk is afraid to get his shot blocked, and that’s why he pump fakes so much. It’s an annoying quirk I’d like to see go away because very often he’s not at risk, and he’s not exactly going to be blazing by anyone for drive-and-dish opportunities. I think Olynyk has gotten even slower on those this season, so that’s not something he should be worried too much about doing.

But when he’s playing like he did against Atlanta, he’s the Kelly that gets people to stop talking about being drafted ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo (side note: stop it. Giannis was drafted 15th. No one saw this coming). He’s the kind of useful back-up that changes the dynamic of the team and forces opponents to make tough decisions because they can’t stick with all the shooters AND let Isaiah Thomas go 1-on-1 with someone. If he’s bombing away without hesitation, then a defender has to fly out at him to contest rather than knowing “I have an extra step to close out because he’ll try to pump fake.”

And this all might be a function of his shoulder finally starting to feel better. If you recall, some early struggles were to be expected:

Avery Bradley had just returned to the Boston Celtics lineup after having had surgery on both shoulders, eager to put his injury-riddled days in the past.

Then-Celtics assistant coach Tyronn Lue had suffered a similar shoulder injury a decade earlier in 2003, so he knew all too well what Bradley was going through.

“I remember Tyronn Lue took me to the side and said, ‘you’re going to struggle,’” Bradley recalled. “When he said it to me, I was like, ‘what is he talking about?’”

The words of Lue, now the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, were indeed prophetic. And now that current Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk is back to practicing after having surgery on his right shoulder, Bradley plans to be there for Olynyk the way Lue was there for him.

His true shooting percentage started out at 59.5% for November, dipped to 52.8% in December, and has now shot up to 65.7%. His offensive rating (an estimate of points produced per 100 possessions) shot up from 100 to 130 from December to January, and he’s nearly doubled his scoring average from month-to-month. So there is something to be said for his shoulder finally feeling better.

Some of it can also be the guys around him. Like in the Atlanta game, maybe he’s the beneficiary of playing next to Isaiah and Jae Crowder (42.9% from 3) and being the guy left alone long enough to get clean looks. Even so, taking advantage of those looks hasn’t always been Olynyk’s forte, so it’s nice to see it happening.

Now comes the “so now what?” portion of Olynyk’s career… at least in Boston. The restricted free agent WILL command a healthy raise on the open market. Boston is looking for major upgrades to its roster at the trade deadline and/or in free agency, which will directly impact Olynyk’s future in Boston. Chances are good that he’s done here, and that all he’s doing right now is increasing his value and honing his skills for another team. He is a valuable trade asset (don’t worry if you don’t think so, the rest of the NBA appreciates his skillset) and a team looking to make a trade could see him as part of a good package. If the Celtics feel like they can make another splashy free agent signing, they might have to renounce Kelly and make him an unrestricted free agent so they can bring in a big name.

So there is a lot of uncertainty still surrounding Olynyk. He’s progressing after his shoulder surgery, but not at a pace that anyone (maybe not even Olynyk himself) is happy with. Still, there’s no doubt that he’s stepped into 2017 nicely. If he can continue this for the rest of the season, he’ll have people wondering whether letting him go is such a good idea after all.

Related links: Herald: Kelly Olynyk feasts on big night in Atlanta

Page 2: C’s fans chanting MVP for Thomas might be onto something…

When the question about being league MVP was broached to Isaiah Thomas recently, in very typical Isaiah Thomas fashion, he didn’t mince his words.

He told the throng of us media folks surrounding him just hours before breaking the Hawks’ heart with a game-winning jumper on Friday, that only Houston’s James Harden and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook should be ahead of him in the league MVP race.

We all smiled when he said that because we all thought it was pretty funny.

Still, if you take a step back for moment and examine the kind of season he’s having and look at some of the usual suspects for league MVP (LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard) and the front-runners Thomas accurately identified, you have to ask yourself…is he for real?

CSNNE: Blakely: We can all stop laughing at the Thomas-for-MVP talk

Let’s start here: The MVP is probably going to be either James Harden or Russell Westbrook. They’re the triple-double maniacs this year and, outside of scoring and shooting, they’ve got the overall numbers to distance themselves from Isaiah Thomas. Westbrook is currently averaging a triple-double and Harden is the second-best rebounding guard in the league.

BUT…

IT is right there with the scoring-wise. He’s currently 4th in the NBA (28.2 ppg) behind Westbrook (30.8), Anthony Davis (29.3) and Harden (28.6) and he’s shooting better than either Westbrook or Harden from the floor. He’s also the NBA’s top 4th quarter scorer.

So there’s zero doubt at this point that Isaiah has climbed into the conversation. He’s at the very least entered the “semantic discussion about what ‘most valuable’ really means” phase of the debate. It’s the part where I could look at Westbrook voter dead in the face and ask “who is more valuable to his team’s success than Isaiah Thomas in Boston?”

Take any of those three guys off their respective teams and each would crater a bit. I’m not going to sit here and argue against Harden or Westbrook but I WILL argue that (a) Isaiah Thomas should probably get a bunch of third-place votes at this point of the season and (b) Thomas should, at this point, be in the mixt for an All-NBA team.

I'm a Raps homer, but even I gotta bump I.T. *just* ahead of Lowry for my current All-NBA Teams. #TheDrop pic.twitter.com/7pQc76jy4u

— J.E. Skeets (@jeskeets) January 14, 2017

That’s a hell of a progression for a guy some argued should move to the bench this season. Thomas is on f’ing fire. I hope he keeps this up and can get the accolades he deserves. He’s following up the best season of his career with the best season of his career… and it’s just awesome to watch.

And Finally….

I love the LeGarrette Blount/Isaiah Thomas bromance…

Video: Celtics Isaiah Thomas, in his Brady jersey, gets fired up with LeGarrette Blount pic.twitter.com/ZIOsPE1S2q

— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) January 15, 2017

These guys have become, like, best friends… which is something I just love about Boston sports. Guys from other teams are always at each other’s games. It’s so much fun. Here’s Blount with Isaiah after IT’s 52 point night..

.@LG_Blount congratulates Isaiah Thomas on a career-high 52 points.#NBAVOTE https://t.co/pLtYm18xFF

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 31, 2016

Love it…

The rest of the links

Herald: Water woes in Flint, Michigan breaking James Young’s heart and hometown

Globe: The state of the Sixers and their “trust the process” rebuild