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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) /
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Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 06: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers shoots a selfie for fans following 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) /

Can Victor Oladipo keep this up?

Furr: A little yes, a little no. I think Oladipo can continue to attack, get to the rim and get to the line with his utter freedom in the Pacers offense. However, he’s shooting 44.4% from deep this season, a wild jump over his career high of 36.1%. That type of leap is not unprecedented, but it’s close, especially while upping the volume at the same time. Oladipo’s shooting will likely come back to earth (though I’ve been saying that for a month, so what do I know?), but I think his aggression will stay. That makes it entirely possible (likely even) that his counting stats will continue to outpace his career highs.

Hughes: Oladipo is on some Steph Curry ish right now, hitting 45.5 percent of his pull-up threes. He shot just 34 percent on pull-ups threes last season, though they made up just 5.4 percent of his total shot selection (17.7 percent this year). This number is essentially what determines how good Oladipo can be for the rest of this season and the rest of his career.

If he can shoot that well on a respectable amount of attempts, it opens up his whole game. He’s already fast enough to run by defenders; if they have to respect his shot, too, it’s game over. The realist in me says he cannot keep this up because he hasn’t done it before, but maybe there’s just no going back to the old Vic.

Vic just has that “it” factor NBA fans love. His dedication to achieving greatness is absurd. — Kevin Kaspar

Kaspar: I regret to inform you that I do not think Victor Oladipo will maintain this level of play; I think he will exceed it. Call Las Vegas and put money on Oladipo’s 2018 all-star bid and while you are at it, put money on his all-NBA status for the next four years.

The Pacers have played 27 games thus far, which yields a large enough sample size to prove Oladipo’s play is no fluke. Vic just has that “it” factor NBA fans love. His dedication to achieving greatness is absurd. Dipo dropped 10 pounds in the offseason and transformed his body into a bucket getting machine. Victor Oladipo will only continue to get better.

East: I choose both options, actually. I think this is the new Dipo in terms of play style and general results. However, I believe his efficiency takes a small dip at some point and he stops nailing an absurd percentage of pull-up 3s. That being said, I still think that he will continue to produce over 20 points every night and clearly leads the team on offense, so I think he can keep it up in that regard.

Matthes: I believe Oladipo can keep it up for two reasons, and by keep it up, I mean play at a high level. Firstly, Players normally enter their prime at 25, which is exactly as old as he is this season. Secondly, Oladipo’s role has completely changed from his previous teams. Surround Vic with good players and maybe he is as good as we’ve seen. At the very least he has the drive to try to keep validating it.

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