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Kelly Olynyk faces reporters during a news conference in Boston, Monday, July 1, 2013.

(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Kelly Olynyk's peers believe he should contend for the Rookie of the Year award and could have quite a career.

In the annual NBA.com rookie survey, released Monday, the Boston Celtics center finished third in the preseason voting for Rookie of the Year behind Victor Oladipo and C.J. McCollum. With 36 rookies voting for the awards, Olynyk also accumulated as many votes as anyone for which rookie will have the best career (tied with Oladipo at 18.2 percent of the balloting) and which rookie is being most overlooked (tied with Ricky Ledo, Erik Murphy and Nerlens Noel at 8.6 percent).

Olynyk, the 13th pick of the draft, averaged 18.0 points and 7.8 rebounds in the Orlando Pro Summer League after leaping into national prominence as a redshirt junior at Gonzaga. The Celtics traded up three spots to acquire the 7-footer on draft night, apparently trusting that intelligence and a wide array of offensive talents will help him overcome a lack of elite athleticism. (Probably not a reason the Celtics drafted Olynyk: If he had a signature fragrance, he said, it would smell like him.)

This time last year, Boston draft pick Fab Melo was voted the funniest rookie (around the same time he sat on a chair and broke it). Though we'll find out more once Olynyk, you know, starts playing actual NBA basketball games, it's probably better for the Celtics that he's being recognized more for his basketball talents.