“My role now is more the voice of experience, being a vet and letting these guys know what’s coming down the pipe and how to handle it, and just to keep them focused and ready,” said Olynyk, who has averaged about four minutes and three points per game in the playoffs.

Olynyk spoke to CFJC on Thursday (June 4) after practice in the Lone Star State, with his club aiming to rebound from a 105-95 loss to the visiting New York Knicks in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Finals on Wednesday. 

The 35-year-old South Kamloops secondary graduate played in neither the championship series opener nor Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.

“I play basketball,” said Olynyk, who averaged about nine minutes and five points per game in 42 regular-season contests. “That’s my whole life. That’s what I love to do. You always want to go out and play and make an impact. And you know you can help this team. But, also, you’re a team. You need to accept the role you’re in and you’re given. And, whenever that role changes, you’re ready for it if it does.”

The 13-year-veteran Olynyk is influencing his club in part through mentorship, with arguably the league’s greatest player among his pupils – 22-year-old phenom Victor Wembanyama. 

“He has all the skills. He has all the talent,” Olynyk said of the 7-foot-4 Frenchman. ”You’re not really helping him with that any more. You’re helping him maybe with a different perspective on how to see the game.” 

Olynyk offered a pair of examples – reading defences and adapting to screens. 

“It’s more of a breakdown of how he can manipulate or read or alter the game to his benefit,” Olynyk said. 

Olynyk, playing for his eighth NBA team, is in the final year of a two-year contract worth U.S. $26,250,000.

In his only other trip to the Finals, his Miami Heat fell in six games to Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

The Spurs coughed up a 14-point, third-quarter lead on Wednesday and did not have an answer for Jalen Brunson, who tallied 13 of his 30 points in the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter.

“We had a few open threes and we missed them,” Olynyk said. “They’re a good team. Defensively, they’re really good. Offensively, Brunson’s a lot to handle, makes a bunch of plays. I think we kind of just didn’t really continue to play.” 

Olynyk is confident the Knicks did not see the best of the Spurs in Game 1. 

“It wasn’t our best game in the post-season at all or maybe the regular season, either,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of room for growth and improvement. We lost Game 1 in the second round against Minnesota at home, so we’ve been in this situation before.” 

Meanwhile, Stankoven and the Hurricanes find themselves in a similar position, down 1-0 in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final following a 5-4 loss on Tuesday to the visiting Vegas Golden Knights.

Game 2 is slated for 5:00 p.m. on Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina. 

“It’s what you dream of as a kid, to hoist that Cup some day and to have your name on that Cup,” Stankoven said. “I think it’s great to have that in the back of your mind just as a motivator. But, at the same time, you’ve just got to take it one game at a time and you can’t get too far ahead of yourself. That’s the goal.”