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Victor Oladipo will be a very different teammate when he shares the floor with Russell Westbrook at the All-Star Game

By Ben Gibson

EDMOND, OK - MARCH 24: Victor Oladipo #5 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder smile and laugh during his 7th annual Why Not? Foundation bowling event on March 24, 2017 at the AMF Boulevard Lanes in Edmond, Oklahoma. 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 Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
EDMOND, OK - MARCH 24: Victor Oladipo #5 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder smile and laugh during his 7th annual Why Not? Foundation bowling event on March 24, 2017 at the AMF Boulevard Lanes in Edmond, Oklahoma. 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 Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Victor Oladipo is flourishing now that he’s out of the shadow of fellow ball-dominant guard Russell Westbrook, but will the Indiana Pacers star still shine when they share the court at the All-Star Game?

All Victor Oladipo needed was the right situation. The Indiana Pacers gave him that this season, and now he is an All-Star.

Part of being in the right situation was not playing as a catch-and-shoot guard. The best way for Oladipo to dominate games is by leading the charge. But last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he was in the shadow of Russell Westbrook.

Now that the two will be on the same team once again — as reserves on Team LeBron in the All-Star Game — is Oladipo’s game going to revert to what it was a season ago?

No.

As much fun as it is sometimes to joke about Westbrook and the Thunder underutilizing Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, it’s easy to forget what the two now-Pacers did to turn this season into the best of their careers.

For Oladipo, cutting weight played a part, but he also learned a thing or two from Westbrook while watching him win the MVP award. Taking a page from Westbrook, Oladipo is dominating games in a way he never did before, even with the Orlando Magic.

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Oladipo never had a usage rate above 25.2% in his career as he played more to fit in with his teammates. That’s up to 30.3% this season, the 11th highest in the NBA. If it wasn’t obvious, Oladipo’s game is completely different now.

And that’s why he won’t be sitting back and waiting to take shots or looking to pass the ball to Westbrook or anyone else.

If this season with the Pacers is evidence, then he will be the one dictating the flow of the offense when the ball is in his hands at the All-Star Game.

Obviously, Westbrook’s style of play means Oladipo might still have to wait for a pass from his former teammate, but now Westbrook shouldn’t expect to get it back if Oladipo isn’t taking the shot.

Oladipo evolved into a much more assertive, aggressive, and dominating player than before. A better question to ask at the All-Star Game is whether there is enough ball to go around between him, Westbrook, and the other three teammates on the floor.

There’s a good chance Westbrook finds a way to dominate the ball as he did a season ago when he posted a 43.2% usage rate in the game. Oladipo will contend with that when they share the floor, but his attitude when he gets the ball will be entirely different than when the two were teammates in Oklahoma City.

Next: Why did the Pacers defense improve in January?

In a small way, you can thank Russell Westbrook for Victor Oladipo being the player is today, but at the same time, he never becomes the player he is now if he stays in his shadow.

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