Indiana Pacers: Three players that will benefit from Victor Oladipo being back

The Indiana Pacers welcomed back Victor Oladipo. As a result of the new wrinkle for the Pacers, three players will benefit from his addition to the rotation.

Wednesday night was one Indiana Pacers fans had been waiting for.

After over a year absent due to injury, Victor Oladipo returned to the floor against the Chicago Bulls in an electric Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

In an arduous battle, the Pacers went back-and-forth with the Bulls for four quarters with Oladipo sinking a deep three-pointer with 10 seconds left in regulation to tie the game.

Oladipo wasted no time igniting his clutch gene and returning to old form.

The Pacers would go into overtime with momentum and never looked back earning a 115-106 win.

Despite only playing 20 minutes and poor shooting for the majority of the game, Oladipo showed promise and added flare to the 2019-2020 Indiana Pacers.

It is expected for Oladipo to gradually get back into the swing of things and Wednesday was a perfect example.

It will take some time for Pacers fans to truly see the old Oladipo, but last night was a great first step in the right direction.

With Oladipo back on the floor, the Pacers are more well-rounded than ever.

The guard brings a sense of cohesion and confidence that trickles down to every player on the roster. With the addition of Oladipo to the rotation, it is important to note who will benefit from his inclusion.

Here are three Pacers that will benefit from Victor Oladipo being back in the rotation:

Myles Turner

Turner would miss Wednesday’s game due to illness and his presence was most certainly missed.

The Bulls were able to make their mark in the paint due to the lack of rim protection that Turner offers.

Even though some fans have been skeptical of Turner’s long-term value to the Pacers, Wednesday’s contest against the Bulls was a perfect example of how he can help the franchise on a nightly basis.

Now, with Oladipo in the rotation, Turner can thrive offensively.

Oladipo and Turner are one of the few surviving Pacers from last season. As a result, the duo has chemistry in place that’ll pay dividends as the season progresses.

The pick-and-roll will be on full display as Oladipo and Turner navigate through defenses.

Oladipo knows Turner’s strengths and weaknesses and will set the center up for success. Despite having a sporadic season so far on offense, Turner will have the opportunity to get into a groove as the Pacers rotation becomes more stable.

The first half of the season featured a myriad of lineup changes and injuries that prevented Turner from reaching his full potential on offense. But with things starting to fall in place for Nate McMillan and the Pacers, Turner has the chance to turn the page and remind the NBA of what he can bring to the table.

Malcolm Brogdon

There’s no questioning Malcolm Brogdon’s ability and what he has brought to the Pacers so far this season.

However, the guard has battled injury throughout the first 50 games which forced the Pacers coaching staff to rely on different players in certain circumstances.

If it weren’t for injury, Brogdon could have been in the discussion of being named an NBA All-Star for this season.

The addition of Oladipo will take some of the pressure off of Brogdon, allow him to play within his comfort zone, and hopefully reduce the risk of injury for the standing point guard.

With Brogdon potentially having less ball-handling duties, other aspects of his game could come to life.

Brogdon will be less of a distributor and more of a threat shooting and attacking the basket with Oladipo now in the rotation.

Oladipo will draw the attention of most defense which can allow Brogdon to flourish as the team’s second option, even in crunch time.

Throughout his career, Brogdon has displayed the ability to play with anyone in any scenario and that won’t change with Oladipo back on the floor.

Pacers fans can expect Brogdon to adjust on the fly and make a way for himself in the new rotation that the Pacers will roll out for the second half of the season.

Brogdon is already known as a tremendous player, but the addition of Oladipo can help him receive the recognition he deserves.

Justin Holiday

Justin Holiday has found comfort over the last month as a member of the Pacers.

Holiday has found his stroke and is currently dominating from beyond the arc. Not only has he helped the Pacers offensively but his length and willingness to defend has allowed the second unit to thrive.

With Oladipo in the mix, more opportunities may be afforded to Holiday.

An aspect of Oladipo’s game that gets often overlooked is his ability to pass and read defenses. Wednesday night was a great display of that skillset as he made his mark as a distributor rather than a scorer.

Holiday has a high basketball IQ and puts himself in positions to be successful. As Oladipo integrates himself into the rotation, expect Holiday to work in conjunction and bring the second unit a reliable scoring option.

Even though Holiday hasn’t been known regarded as a scorer throughout his career, Oladipo’s presence will allow NBA fans to regard Holiday as a threat on both ends of the floor.

The Pacers are trending in the right direction and the addition of Oladipo will only give fans more confidence as the team aims to be a contender in the Eastern Conference.

The addition of Oladipo adds a new wrinkle for the Pacers and forces opponents to reconsider how they attack the team. As Oladipo earns more minutes as the season moves forward expect Brogdon, Holiday, and Turner to turn benefit.