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

Victor Oladipo and the Indiana Pacers host Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse since the trade.

What was your initial reaction to the Paul George Victor Oladipo/Domantas Sabonis trade?

Will Furr: I thought it was terribad. Sabonis had NOT looked good as a stretch 4 in OKC, standing in the corner and waiting for Russell Westbrook to do his thing. Victor Oladipo had looked meh in OKC, standing on the wing waiting for Russell Westbrook to do his thing, and had 80 million dollars still coming his way.

Rumors of Gary Harris (who I liked, and who got annihilated by Dipo just a few days ago) and the number 13 pick, and of possible Boston/Cleveland packages that could’ve theoretically been better on paper than the Dipo/Sabonis haul made it tough to swallow. The timing of it all was curious, and made things even worse. Rumors that Danny Ainge might give up the farm for PG if Gordon Hayward signed in Boston cut deep when PG was traded just days before the Free Agency period opened, and days before Hayward became a Celtic.

I was pissed off that Pritchard had rushed the deal and not waiting to see what movement happened in free agency.

Dylan Hughes: “Uhhh, okay.” It was fairly disappointing, as rumors had circulated for a while and players I liked more were mentioned as a possibility. If the Pacers waited for Gordon Hayward to sign with Boston, could they trade George for Jaylen Brown, a first round pick (potentially from Brooklyn?) and some win-now filler like Jae Crowder or Avery Bradley? Garry Harris and the 13th pick (became Donovan Mitchell) were on the table at some point. I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t feel like they maximized George’s value.

Kevin Kaspar: If my reaction were a cocktail, it would be a strange mixture of relief, sorrow, anger, and optimism.

I spent the majority of the offseason defending Paul George, hoping that he may, in fact, stay with the organization. However, in the back of my mind, I knew he was gone. Initially, I hoped for a young talent, and a handful of draft picks for George, much like the trade that Danny Ainge “offered” at the 2016 trade deadline.

However, when Paul George leaked he would be leaving the franchise at the end of the 2017-18 season, all hope was lost for a haul of that caliber. Quite frankly, I was just happy Pritchard was able to get him out of the locker room before the season began so everyone involved could start fresh. And, my, oh my, are the Pacers fresh.

Tony East: I wrote about this! I can’t remember the exact grades for each team but I think I gave the Pacers around a C- and the Thunder a B+, making them the clear winners for me at first. I loved Oladipo from my IU ties and liked Sabonis as a prospect, but I was frustrated with the no draft pick at the time. Combine that with it being the time where Dipo was considered “bad money” and I found it to be a clear misfire trade.

Jonathan Matthes: I loved it and wrote so thrice back in the summer, including the day of the trade. I loved Sabonis coming out of Gonzaga and thought he would pair well with Turner. Then I thought Vic would thrive in an offense that placed him at the forefront of the attack. Plus I think trading for draft picks and role players is both overrated and kinda stupid; but when you can acquire young players that are both promising and still have room to grow: perfect. I’ll take it every day and twice on Sunday.

Leading up to tonight’s game, who won the trade?

Furr: As of right this second, the Pacers won the trade. That would’ve been nearly unfathomable at the time it happened, but that’s where things stand.

Oladipo is outplaying Paul George as a direct comparison. Domantas Sabonis has looked to be far more than a throw in, and is reminding people that he was literally just the 11th pick in the 2016 draft — the same slot Myles Turner was drafted a year earlier. The Pacers — a team many predicted for ~30 wins — are 5th in the East at 16-11, while the “Title Contender” Thunder with their riches of Russ, PG, and Carmelo Anthony languish in 9th place in the ultra talented West at 12-14.

The Pacers are making a mockery of the Oklahoma City Police Department’s tongue in cheek tweet about the reported “Theft” of Paul George.

Hughes: It’s still too early to tell in my opinion. As of today, the Pacers have gotten more production from their return. The Thunder have struggled with their Big 3 of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George, but there is still tremendous upside with this team. If they can figure out how to balance things out offensively, they are going to be a tough out in the playoffs.

If this is the new reality for Oladipo, though, I think Indiana will win this deal.

Kaspar: It has to be Indiana. I want to be objective and consider George’s stacked resume in comparison to Oladipo’s and Sabonis’ but its fruitless so long as PG’s long-term status is unclear. If I were asked the same question in June, then I would have said OKC won the trade.

Thunderous Intentions

However, it is clear that Kevin Pritchard is some houdini mastermind when it comes to basketball. Pritchard pulled a rabbit out of his hat and created a talented young core of Oladipo, Turner, and Sabonis out of thin air. Not even the most optimistic Pacers fan could have predicted Oladipo producing at an all-star level. Moreover, Domas has been sneaky good for Indiana. Kevin Pritchard won the Victor Oladipo trade.

East: It’s a tie. I still think the Thunder won this season, because Paul friggin’ George. But in terms of total value, having Oladipo for (at least) 4 more years including this one and Sabonis (at least) 3 means in terms of total value you are getting close to a win.

If you operate the assumption that Paul George was going to leave, then the Pacers won, but I don’t like to make assumptions in choosing trade winners.

Matthes: It leans toward Indy because the Pacers got the young players that are under team control, and are kinda excellent. But I think it’s a little unfair to lambast OKC over it. There’s a great change Oladipo never would have blossomed while he was in OKC, and the Thunder’s boldness should be applauded. Bonus loser of this trade: Orlando, remember they traded Dipo and Sabonis to OKC too. So at least OKC has company.

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.

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.

Prediction for tonight’s game?

Furr: The believer in me wants to say that the Pacers will continue the Thunder’s woes, and put a real crack in the foundation of this OKC team with a win. The guy who watched PG show up time and again against LeBron is concerned that we might see a vintage Paul George defensive performance that brings things this Pacers team back down to earth.

My gut says the Pacers lose this one, but not because of Paul George. Darren Collison is exactly the type of guard that Russell Westbrook feasts on, and Myles Turner is the type of center that Steven Adams can beast on the offensive glass. I think the Pacers make it competitive, but Dipo struggles against the all world defensive tandem of Paul George and Andre Roberson, and the Pacers struggle to contain Russell Westbrook.

I’ve been wrong about this team all season though — I’m all for being wrong again here. I’m tired of betting against this team, probably the most lovable Pacers team in recent memory. Pacers win a nail biter, and Paul George walks off the court to a chant of “Overrated” from Lance’s crew.

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Hughes: With the way both teams have played lately, I expect a Pacers win. The Pacers have proven that the future is bright even without Paul George, and with the rabid fans behind them, they are going to come out juiced.

I expect to see a good game from Paul George. Perhaps so good that he gives Oladipo trouble, as it wouldn’t be surprising if he guarded Indiana’s new franchise face. Oladipo has been on fire as of late, and he’s going to want to punish Westbrook for turning him into just a role player last season.

Kaspar: Expect nothing less than a shootout. Paul George had this game circled on his calendar for the last five months. George is ready to turn heel and bask in the boos of Pacers fans. Oklahoma City will likely run their offense primarily through PG and try to get him going early because that’s what teams do when a superstar returns to their former franchise. However, the Pacers will extend their win streak to five games come the final buzzer. Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis are just as eager to make the Thunder look silly as PG is the Pacers. The atmosphere will be electric. Any points Victor Oladipo scores on Paul George earns him a heroes reception. Boos will serenade George from his once adoring public. Finally, if Lance Stephenson dunks on Paul George, then Adam Silver must to run on the floor and call the game because Banker’s Life Fieldhouse may crumble from hysterical cheers from Pacers fans. Pacers win by 13.

Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis are just as eager to make the Thunder look silly as PG is the Pacers. — Kevin Kaspar

East: I expect big things from both, honestly, though it is a tough matchup for Oladipo. He is going to be guarded by elite defenders Paul George and Andre Roberson all night, which is an insanely tall task, like Yao Ming tall task. But I still think he finds a way to get other guys open and make this game a good one. As for PG, I think he got all his playing-the-Pacers jitters out of the way in that first game and I also think he has a nice game. Who knows who wins, but these teams are trending in opposite directions. Should be a good one.

Matthes: I expect Oladipo and the Pacers to play hard, and Paul George to either have the best game of the season or completely disappear. OKC needs to rally behind George, because Paul is going to get eviscerated by the fans. If the Thunder don’t step up they might never will. The real wildcard: Lance Stephenson, he’s going to be awesome to watch.

Next: Miller Time Podcast Episode #204: And We Back

Tonight’s game tips-off at 7 p.m. on ESPN.