Kelly Olynyk became the first Celtics player to be nominated for the player of the week award this season. The award ultimately went to Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford but the second-year big man had one heck of a week.

According to nba.com, Olynyk averaged a team-best 19.8 points per game over the course of the four games that Boston played last week. He did this on 60.8 percent shooting, including 43.8 percent from three-point range. He registered an offensive rating of 116.5 points per 100 possessions during that stretch.

Olynyk is thriving in his role off the bench, where he has learned to play more aggressively. Last week, against Philadelphia, Olynyk scored a career-high 30 points. He is a smart player who has become more active without the ball in his second season. This allows him to make an impact on practically every offensive possession that he’s on the floor for.

You would think that exerting as much energy as he does on offense would hurt him on the defensive end, where he has never been that skilled to begin with. However, Olynyk’s defense has noticeably improved this season. His defensive rating last week was an impressive 93.2. Granted, one of Boston’s four games was against Philadelphia and he has been defending more big men on second-units than ever before. Still, there is no denying that he has become more adept on that end of the floor.

Olynyk also chipped in 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1 steal per game. His overall game is improving and while this might not be saying much, his development has been one of the high points for the Celtics this season.