Clay Maxfield’s Indiana Pacers All-Decade Team

Victor Oladipo

If it is anyway possible, Pacers fans should have a modicum of gratitude towards Paul George and his need for an escape from the Hoosier state.

For if not for George’s exit, there would be no Oladipo in a Pacers uniform.

Hailing from Indiana University, Oladipo was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 2013 with the second overall pick.

After a season in Oklahoma City via trade, the former Hoosier found his way to the Pacers organization after George expressed his need to be traded to greener pastures.

Three years later and Oladipo has managed to solidify what was once a shifty trajectory of the Indiana Pacers’ future after George’s pleas for a departure.

That would come full circle with Oladipo winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award in 2017.

In the same season, Oladipo averaged 23 points per game on nearly 48% shooting from the field and provided highlights including a triple-double in Game 6 in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That performance forced a series-deciding game seven.

The following season Oladipo hit a game-clinching pull up three-pointer with 3.4 seconds left on the clock to notch a win over the Boston Celtics.

A few highlights in a young stint with the Pacers so far.

These highlights amongst many more including his signature, “my city” gesture, have shone a light on a bright future for Indiana Pacers fans as they await Oladipo’s near return from a ruptured quad tendon.

With a rebuilt roster, new faces and young talent, Oladipo and the Pacers are primed and hopeful to make noise in the upcoming 2020 postseason.