DeMar DeRozan will start over Victor Oladipo in the All-Star Game, but which one deserved the honor more?
Victor Oladipo’s soon-to-be All-Star season came very unexpectedly for the Indiana Pacers. In a trade deal that had folks laughing at Kevin Pritchard and his team, Oladipo’s season (and is a smaller way, Domantas Sabonis’) has all but justified the move Indiana made.
The question now is whether Victor Oladipo is worthy of starting in the All-Star game. While the Toronto Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan won the spot, that hardly ends the debate of whether he or Oladipo deserved it more. While the All-Star game has a pick-up game format, the voting is still based off of the conferences.
But determining who deserved it more isn’t an easy task. Both stepped up their games this season, but the path to get there was different.
The story of DeRozan this season is one of a player finally tightening up his game to get more out of himself. As before, the Raptors are one of the best teams in the East, but now DeRozen is embracing modern basketball as the additional 3-pointers helped him post the highest eFG% of his career at 51.1%. This will be his fourth All-Star appearance.
Oladipo’s story is one of a player coming to a new team with something to prove. He is no longer playing in someone else’s shadow. The Pacers are his team, and he raised his game to a level we never saw before. The chip Victor has on his shoulder isn’t slowing him down as he looks to make this All-Star team as well, the first of his career.
DeRozan improved his game, but Oladipo re-invented himself.
Let’s just get the easy part out of the way. When you look at their basic stats, there isn’t much separation.
| Rk | Player | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P% | eFG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeMar DeRozan | 43 | 34.7 | 8.8 | 18.4 | .480 | 1.1 | 3.2 | .350 | .508 | .511 | .825 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 25.2 |
| 2 | Victor Oladipo | 39 | 34.0 | 8.7 | 17.9 | .489 | 2.6 | 6.3 | .416 | .529 | .562 | .789 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 24.3 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/18/2018
DeRozan holds a lead in points at 25.2 to Oladipo’s 24.3, but the Raptor also takes more shots. Oladipo’s 3-point shooting (41.6% vs 35%) and overall accuracy (48.9% vs 48%) make him the better shooter. DeMar leads in assists, but Oladipo grabs more rebounds and steals while blocking more shots.
The advanced stats mostly favor Oladipo thanks to his shooting, steals, and blocks. That helps him win out in box plus-minus, but DeRozan earns more win shares partially die to his team’s success.
| Rk | Player | G | PER | TS% | 3PAr | FTr | TRB% | AST% | STL% | BLK% | TOV% | USG% | WS | OBPM | DBPM | BPM | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeMar DeRozan | 43 | 23.4 | .577 | .173 | .420 | 6.7 | 24.3 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 9.6 | 30.2 | 6.3 | 3.9 | -0.9 | 3.1 | 1.9 |
| 2 | Victor Oladipo | 39 | 24.3 | .601 | .352 | .300 | 8.8 | 19.5 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 12.3 | 30.3 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 5.0 | 2.3 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/18/2018
You can pick through stats and find things like Caitlin Cooper did, but they stats hardly create a convincing case for either player. Oladipo plays smarter, but it isn’t as if DeRozan is out there wasting possessions and hurting his team. Oladipo’s defense is better, but neither make their money as defenders.
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And that’s why it is difficult to figure out who deserves it more. Oladipo arguably does more and does it more efficiently, but DeRozan’s Raptors are the ones sitting in the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
In the end, the fans, media, and players got it right. When it comes down to the production, DeRozan has the edge. Both are the MVPs of their teams and playing the best basketball of their careers. The slightest edge in points and the Raptors’ success is enough to say DeRozan deserves the spot when Oladipo arguably only does things marginally better than DeRozan.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather see Oladipo as the starter in the All-Star Game. His style is more fun to watch for me and he has less talent around him than DeRozan does. The fact that Oladipo’s impact is on the same level as DeRozan’s while playing more effciently in slighly less minutes is a reason to put him ahead of DeRozan.
Oladipo is more critical to Indiana’s success than DeRozan to Toronto’s, but in that regard, we’re arguing which one is marginally better in an area that comes down to opinion.
And that’s really what the All-Star Game is, anyway. It’s about people picking their favorite players. In theory, that puts the best players on the floor. And it isn’t as if Oladipo is going to get snubbed by the coaches as they pick reserves. Oladipo clearly earned a spot in the All-Star Game, and no one really remembers who the starters were when we look at players’ legacies years later anyway.
If you take out the Pacers-bias, it’s fine that DeRozan got the nod over Oladipo. But if anyone thinks that’s a clear-cut case, they’re deeply mistaken. And considering where Oladipo was a season ago, that’s impressive.
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As long as the coaches don’t do something crazy, then Oladipo is an All-Star. That’s what matters. He isn’t starting, but he is playing. Who would have expected that happening six months ago?