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Foot injury hampering Celtics’ Kelly Olynyk

7-footer is battling plantar fasciitis

The Celtics traded up to the No. 13 overall pick to draft Kelly Olynyk.NBAE/Getty Images/File

Celtics rookie 7-footer Kelly Olynyk will not compete for the Canadian national team this summer because of plantar fasciitis, an inflammation in the tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot. It’s considered a nagging but painful injury.

“Nothing too serious, but he just needs to rest and recover,” a source close to the Canadian national team said Monday.

The Canadian team Monday announced the list of 18 players who are set to attend its training camp, which begins Friday at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Olynyk, who grew up in Toronto and has been a part of the Canadian national team program in recent years, was not on that list.

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“He’s so keen about wanting to play, but the Celtics had some concerns,” national team head coach Jay Triano told the Toronto Star.

The Celtics traded up to the No. 13 overall pick to draft Olynyk. He played very well in five games at the Orlando Summer League, averaging a team-high 18 points and 7.8 rebounds in 24.3 minutes.

He was voted to the league’s first team.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has said that he sees Olynyk weighing 260 pounds — 20 more than he does now — and as a power forward who can play center occasionally.

“I don’t see Kelly as a go-to guy in the NBA,” Ainge added on the day Olynyk was introduced to the media, “but a guy that complements the rest of the guys on the team and makes them all better.”

That said, given that the Celtics are rebuilding and Olynyk’s strong play during summer league, there’s a chance the former Gonzaga standout could play a bigger role this season.


Baxter Holmes can be reached at baxter.holmes@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BaxterHolmes.