Victor Oladipo was the hero the Indiana Pacers needed last season, but the expectations are even higher the upcoming season.
Last year at this time, it was the uncertainty of what Victor Oladipo was that worried us. We knew he could shoot, but not many expected him to turn into an All-Star and All-NBA player with the Indiana Pacers.
Now, he is expected to that All-Star and All-NBA player. He is expected to continue knocking down clutch shots. Being one of the NBA’s best defenders is expected now.
All the good feelings about last season’s unexpected success are fading. That success — both Oladipo’s and the Pacers — create higher standards for this season. It changes how we view them.
Last season was like when you go to the casino to have fun. You brought some money but didn’t expect to turn a profit, or at least were ready to lose all of the gambling money you brought. Then it turns out, the bets at the roulette table and hitting on 17 at the blackjack table worked in your favor. That’s having fun.
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The Pacers played with house money last season, but this season doesn’t have that luxury. This season, they’re working off their own bankroll. They aren’t here to have fun, they’re here to make money. That’s more of a grind, it’s about capitalizing on the moment.
It’s the difference between a trip to Vegas and trying to live in Vegas as a gambler. It’s when you actually get around to reading and learning Doyle Brunson’s Super System instead of having it sitting in your bathroom as a roundabout way of impressing your poker buddies.
If Oladipo and the Pacers only break even, that’s not winning in this case. It was an acceptable outcome last season and one they superseded. But this year, breaking even means you’re back to square one.
That’s not an acceptable outcome for Oladipo or the Pacers.
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.
What we hate about Victor Oladipo’s game
Victor Oladipo didn’t have a bad postseason overall, but the Cleveland Cavaliers exposed his vulnerabilities.
One of the most obvious examples was how the Cavaliers attacked him with double teams. In a mixture of his own mistakes and perhaps not enough adjusting by Nate McMillan, Oladipo was neutralized offensively.
Oladipo either picked up the ball or sent passes to teammates that were often out of reach or closer to the Cavaliers.
He turned the ball over 15 times in the first three games of the series, and even though he got back to only turning it over nine times in the final four games, the damage was obvious.
It wasn’t until later in the series that the Pacers did a better job of punishing the Cavaliers for the double teams, but they struggled to handle the pressure until the final two games of the series.
While the clips below illustrate some of the bad passes Oladipo made trying to escape the trap, there were plenty of times the Cavaliers ate up time and efficiency from the Pacers.
Cleveland took Oladipo out of his normal rhythm. A bevy of 3-pointers boosted his Game 1 shooting stats, but even then, he only shot 36.8 percent from the floor and 32.5 percent from deep in the first five games of the series. 20.2 points a game is solid, but it wasn’t enough as the Pacers lost three of those games.
As already noted, the turnovers went down and the scoring went up in the final two games as Oladipo not only averaged 29 points a game on 52 percent shooting but also averaged 12.5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3.5 steals in Game 6 and Game 7.
So he seemingly fixed the issue, but when the playoffs roll around again, the other coaching staff is going to have another plan to slow down Oladipo.
The question next time will be if Oladipo and the Pacers are ready for it.
Victor Oladipo’s projected role this coming season
Victor Oladipo is still the mayor, and the Indiana Pacers will rely on him to carry them for another season. He was 28th in minutes played last season with a total of 2,519, but one can hope the Pacers can find ways to rest him thanks to an improved bench.
If he wants to take a shot at the MVP race, he’ll need to score more than the 23.1 points a game he scored last season. The improvement must come in small ways as his usage rate was one of the highest in the NBA. Giving him the ball more often isn’t the answer.
Despite all the leaps he made last season, there’s still room to refine his game.
Oladipo could stand to finish better at the rim despite the fact he’s an excellent driver. His percentages from around the floor are all above average, but according to Cleaning The Glass‘ statistics, only his corner 3-point shooting is at an elite level.
In the case being selected to the All-Defensive First Team wasn’t enough confirmation, Vic is an outstanding defender. There isn’t a ton of room for improvement there for him.
If the Pacers and Oladipo are to ascend to another level, there won’t be any huge jump this year, at least in their franchise player’s case. But if Oladipo can find tiny ways to get an edge, then we truly will see something special with him this season.
He’s no longer playing with house money. Indiana is no longer underdogs. It’s time for Victor Oladipo raise the stakes for him and the Pacers.