Kelly Olynyk to return from 18-game absence Wednesday

The Boston Celtics' unlikely push for a playoff spot will get a boost on Wednesday, as center Kelly Olynyk is set to return from an 18-game absence.

Olynyk has been sidelined since Jan. 22 with a sprained right ankle, an injury that has lingered and frustrated the Canadian big man. The Celtics originally hoped he would be able to return after the All-Star Break, then this past weekend, with the floor-spacing center finally getting through three-on-three action without any trepidation on Tuesday.

"He looked good to me," head coach Brad Stevens said Wednesday.

What remains unclear is the size of the role Olynyk will be returning to. Stevens has expressed pleasure with how his recent three-man frontcourt of Tyler Zeller, Brandon Bass and Jonas Jerebko have played, and the team had generally been playing well before getting rolled by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.

Olynyk was playing well before his injury, too, averaging 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 50.6 percent overall and 35.3 percent from long range. He adds an additional element of playmaking from the elbows that the team's other bigs lack, and what he brings to the offense will probably be deemed more important than what he takes away on the defensive end. He may not see the 24.5 minutes he was averaging before, but it's unlikely he's lost his role entirely.

The Celtics are one of six teams within three games of each other for the final two Eastern Conference playoff spots, so any marginal gain Olynyk can provide could be paramount down the stretch.