Victor Oladipo made a late splash in his return against the Chicago Bulls, but more than 30 games still remain and there is still much to improve.
Victor Oladipo is still clutch. After leading the league in clutch scoring and clutch shooting percentage last year before the injury, Oladipo hit one DEEP three to tie last night’s game with nine seconds left in the fourth. His teammates then picked up the slack in overtime for the 115-106 win.
That bucket took Vic right up to his minutes limit, but that’s all he needed. He stepped into the shot with the kind of confidence Pacers fans grew accustomed to.Everyone knew who was taking the final shot and there was no doubt who influenced the poise.
“I just shot it, man. Mamba mentality,” Oladipo said postgame as tears began to flow. Referencing the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash over the weekend.
It had been a long road back. Rupturing a quad tendon is not a common injury in the NBA and returning in just over a year is quite the feat. There were times it was evident he had been out over a year, but also snippets of his All-Star form.
The end was everything he could have imagined, but the game as a whole was a mixed bag. The defense was there in spurts and he notched three assists in his first four minutes on the floor. Unfortunately, before the game-saving three, Oladipo was 1-7 from the field and 0-6 from deep.
Luckily, there is so much to build on from here. There were several instances where passes were thrown by new teammates in Oladipo’s direction, but went awry. In particular a fast break outlet from Malcolm Brogdon and a pass to the corner from Justin Holiday will be shorn up with more reps as a unit.
Indiana built incredible chemistry with a mostly new team rather quickly so incorporating a star as unselfish as Oladipo should not be too much of a problem. He already showed a willingness to find his teammates when the shots weren’t falling and that comfort will pay dividends when those shots eventually hit their mark.
The 20-minute limit will probably stick around until at least the All-Star break next month. This next stretch is devoted to getting this team acclimated with a star many have never played with. Against the Bulls, seven Pacers got their first ever minutes alongside Oladipo.
There are 34 games left until the playoffs begin, two and a half months. That should be more than enough time for the team to gel and it will hopefully gives Oladipo ample time to knock the rust off. They need to figure out how the rotation will look once everyone is healthy.
Not sure there is enough time to get everything right? Victor Oladipo had one more thing to say postgame:
“Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.”