Celtics' Kelly Olynyk: Participating in contact drills

Olynyk (shoulder) was cleared for contact drills Saturday, but remains without a concrete timetable for a return.

Analysis:

Celtics GM Danny Ainge has mentioned mid-November as a target return date for Olynyk, who has been sidelined for all of training camp while recovering from offseason surgery on his right shoulder. The team figures to limit Olynyk's contact as a means of easing him back in, so he'll likely need a few weeks to regain conditioning and prove that his shoulder is in sound condition. While Olynyk is sidelined, Amir Johnson, Tyler Zeller and Jonas Jerebko could all benefit from small bumps in playing time.