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Shooting guard Tuesdays: Victor Oladipo’s defense

By Tony East

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 03: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers defends against JJ Redick #17 of the Philadelphia 76ers in the first half of a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 3, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers won 100-92. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 03: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers defends against JJ Redick #17 of the Philadelphia 76ers in the first half of a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 3, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers won 100-92. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Victor Oladipo has been obviously great on offense. What isn’t talked about enough is how good his defense has been.

It is often the case that players who excel on one end of the floor are not as strong on the other. Exerting the required effort to be a great offensive player usually means you have less energy on the defensive end, and vice versa. Victor Oladipo, on the other hand, is killing it on both ends of the court.

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It would be beating a dead horse to explain how great Oladipo has been on offense. His improvement and leadership keep the Pacers offense running at elite levels. But his defense needs to be talked about more. It has been a huge part of his success and an important part of the 30 wins the Pacers have.

Right off the bat, you can see it on the stat sheet. Oladipo is averaging a career-high and team-high 1.9 steals per game. Thanks to his athleticism and anticipation skills, he gets these takeaways using a rare combo of jumping in passing lanes and simply stripping opponents.

At 6’4 and only 210 pounds, many bigger players think they can take advantage of Oladipo’s size. Thanks to his offseason conditioning, he has the strength to stay on these guys and the timing to take the ball when the perfect moment strikes:

MKG got two dribbles in and looked over his shoulder. Vic saw an opportunity and took it, thus ending the Hornets possession.

There has been many a time where these plays lead to offense for Indiana. Oladipo gets the fruits of his own labor here, as the fast break ends in his hands for the wide open layup:

He’s been all over guys when he is guarding the man with the ball. Even when he can’t get the steal, he’s been more effective at stopping guys than he ever has been before in his career. His 106 defensive rating is a career best, per basketball-reference, and he is on pace for a career high in defensive win-shares.

Check out his recovery here, as he flies all the way across the hardwood to force OG Annunoby to miss, sprinting over from all the way under the basket:

And here, you can see his excellent on-ball defense in the spotlight. In the clutch, Oladipo is matched up on Jaylen Brown. Brown gets a full head of steam and drives to the rim, but Victor cuts him off and stays with him on the drive. His effort forces the miss at the basket:

A frustrating result for Brown? Yep, but he should consider himself one of the lucky ones. He could have been blocked, after all.

Oladipo’s .8 blocks per game are a career high, and second on the Pacers behind only elite shot blocker Myles Turner. Getting blocks when you’re 6’4 is hard to do, yet Victor does it better than any of his non-gigantic teammates.

He can either stay right with you and erase your finish or zoom in from the weak side and send your shot into the town over. The choice is yours, but either way, you better know that the result will be embarrassing.

The forensic team had to be called in for a victim named Avery Bradley on this play. Oladipo pops in at the last second from the opposite wing to send the shot back, and I mean way back:

Even when the swat isn’t so emphatic, it is still impressive and impactful. This one on JJ Redick leads to a dunk on the other end:

Blocks, beyond hyping up your team and changing momentum, can often lead to easy chances like that, as players have to scramble to get back in transition. The Pacers use that to their advantage, blitzing opponents on the fast break after every block using their speed. Oladipo can be thanked for that a lot of the time.

Next: Are the Indiana Pacers too optimistic about Darren Collison’s knee?

Oladipo’s offense is a spectacle to watch every night. But don’t sleep on his defense, he is one of the best defenders on the team and can hang with even the toughest of matchups.

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