Love/Hate Series: Victor Oladipo

What we love about Victor Oladipo

Leadership is tricky to define. Often it is assumed the best player is the leader of the team. But at least in my mind, more often than not it’s a veteran on the team with a mix of skill and tenure that gives them the voice of authority.

But what’s special about Oladipo is not only does he lead the team on the court, he is one of the driving forces in the Pacers positivity. When the season ended, Oladipo called his trainer and talked about working out.

That sort of leadership by example isn’t lost on his teammates. Guys like Myles Turner are going to work out during the summer, but seeing the team’s leader going above and beyond must provide some positive reinforcement for their efforts.

The gravity of the offense is centered on Oladipo.

It is hard to define that form of leadership, but we can define how he leads the team on the floor.

Darren Collison might be the point guard of the Pacers, but Oladipo is the one who controls the action. Oladipo’s 30.1 percent usage rate was the highest of his career while Collison’s dipped to a near career-low of 17.4 percent. For both players, however, it produced the most effective seasons of their careers.

Oladipo’s ability to dictate the pace of the game and possessions consistently opens up the court for the rest of the Pacers. It’s one reason why Collison was the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter last season. The gravity of the offense is centered on Oladipo.

It wasn’t just Collison benefitting from Oladipo, either.

In these clips, Oladipo draws the eyes and defensive efforts of more than just his own defender. When opponents try to overhelp, Oladipo finds a teammate for a basket.

And not every opportunity there is a picture perfect attempt, but on the two plays where Thaddeus Young scores, Oladipo gets the bigs out of position defensively.

Even when Jahlil Okafor contests Domantas Sabonis shot in the final clip, you’ll notice his body isn’t squared up to Sabonis, which allows Domas to finish the play. With Okafor spinning around, Sabonis gets a better angle on the basket, and the defender’s attempt to stop him isn’t nearly as effective as it might have been.

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That gravity was part of the reason why Oladipo’s assist percentage was 20.9 percent, in the 93rd percentile. Translation: Oladipo was near the top of the league when it comes to his team finishing off plays with assists. As you saw above, the way he drew attention from defenders opened the door for the Pacers to score.

We know Oladipo can hit shots as he knocked down 37.1 percent of his 3-pointers last season. We know he can attack the rim and get buckets. In fact, he was 6th in the league as far a field goal percentage goes on drives.

And we haven’t even touched on his defense.

In short, he led the league in steals without leaving his teammates out to dry. Sometimes players sacrifice team defense as they chase steals, but Oladipo was extremely savvy about when and where he attacked.

These are the reasons why the Pacers relied on him to close out games and put the ball in his hands without hesitation.

However, as we saw in the playoffs, sometimes that gravity and the Pacers reliance on Oladipo is an issue when not properly prepared.