Report: Olynyk could miss start of season after shoulder surgery

The Boston Celtics could be without Canadian center Kelly Olynyk for the start of the 2016-17 regular season.

Olynyk underwent surgery on his right shoulder over the summer, with his timeline to return set around five months. That has him on track for October, and as CSN New England's A. Sherrod Blakely reports, Olynyk's recovery could leak into the start of the regular season.

Before going under the knife, the 25-year-old pondered delaying surgery until next summer so he could suit up for Canada in trying to qualify for Rio 2016. That didn't happen, and Canada - sans Olynyk - was bounced in their last-chance qualifier by France.

The injury cost Olynyk 12 games across February and March last season, impacting his play and minutes upon returning. He was limited to just eight minutes per game and 32 total during Boston's opening-round playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks.

In three seasons with the Celtics, Olynyk has averaged 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on 45.5 percent shooting from the field.

Head coach Brad Stevens has a number of bigs in his rotation, with All-Star center Al Horford the most prominent. Along with Amir Johnson, Tyler Zeller, and Jonas Jerebko, the Celtics are well-equipped to handle Olynyk's potential absence.