8 points, 9 seconds
Fansided

8p9s Roundtable: New team, who dis? Paul George returns to Victor Oladipo’s city

By Ben Gibson

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 4: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers before the game against the New York Knicks on December 4, 2017 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 4: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers before the game against the New York Knicks on December 4, 2017 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 06: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers points to the court in celebration during the game against the Chicago Bulls at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 6, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Did you have any hope that Victor Oladipo would play this well?

Furr: No, I did not have hope that Victor Oladipo would shoot nearly 50% from 3, while carrying a huge usage rate and being absolutely scorching hot on pull-up 3’s. I thought that he could continue to grow off what he did in Orlando, if for no other reason than playing next to Russ doesn’t appear to be good for anyone.

I had hope that the way he’s attacked the basket – he’s shooting 5.4 free throws per game, more than double last year’s numbers – could come to pass because of his wild athleticism and freedom to do more than spot up and watch, but I never saw him shooting this way. I never saw him draining clutch 3 after clutch 3. I’m certainly thrilled to be wrong.

Hughes: I thought he’d get back to where he was in Orlando with slight improvement based on opportunity. That’s what Oladipo was before this season: a guy that improved every year but not to the point that you really even noticed much of a difference.

I did have some optimism coming into this season, but I never expected anything close to this.

Kaspar: I had zero hope Victor Oladipo would play this well, at least not this soon. Vic is still young; he is just 25 years old and in his fifth NBA season. History proves that NBA players hit their athletic primes in the late 20’s. That said, I believed Oladipo would’ve been an excellent second option behind Myles Turner based on his career averages.

However, Oladipo has been sipping on “Mike’s Secret Stuff,” and having a career year; 24.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.8 STL, 1.1 BLK. Victor Oladipo’s transformation into an all-star talent, paired with his unadulterated love for Indiana basketball, has been the highlight of the NBA season.

He’s blown past that expectation like Usain Bolt in the 100 at Beijing. — Jonathan Matthes

East: No. I thought that he could improve in a new role with a roster cohesive to his talents, but he has absolutely blown me away. I thought he would be a 20/5/3 guy, basically, without a little better than his career average shooting splits. He’s far surpassed all of that, and has become a leader, so he has far and away surpassed my expectations.

Matthes: Kind of, I thought he would be one of our best players and that he could be all-star caliber, anyone who looked at his constantly improving shooting percentages could’ve see that.

But I didn’t anticipate him playing like arguably the best shooting guard in the NBA. Instead I thought he would be in fringe all-star discussion. He’s blown past that expectation like Usain Bolt in the 100 at Beijing.

Home/Pacers News