Indiana Pacers: What no minute restriction for Victor Oladipo could mean for rotation

The Indiana Pacers are prepared to fully unleash Victor Oladipo. Pacers head coach Nate McMillan on Wednesday declared that Oladipo will no longer have a minute restriction for the rest of the season.

Victor Oladipo and the Indiana Pacers have been diligent in working the star guard back into the rotation after returning from injury.

In the seven games Oladipo has played in this season, the guard gradually saw his minutes increase.

In his first few games back, Oladipo played between 20 and 25 minutes. In the last contest before the All-Star break against the Milwaukee Bucks, Oladipo played 28.

A comfortable and steady increase for a player who is returning from a devastating injury.

Now, after getting his feet wet, the Pacers’ medical and coaching staffs are ready to have Oladipo compete with no restrictions.

However, Coach Nate McMillan made it known that Oladipo will not play the second game of a back-to-back series.

Luckily, the Pacers only have three back-to-backs left on the schedule. This presents the perfect opportunity for Oladipo to get back in the swing of things as the team attempts to climb the Eastern Conference ladder.

As a result of Oladipo’s increased minutes, the rotation will be slightly adjusted. Pacers fans can expect a decrease in minutes for Jeremy Lamb.

With the combination of Malcolm Brogdon and Oladipo continuing to develop, expect the Pacers coaching staff to ride things out. That could mean that Lamb could have his opportunities limited.

The shooting guard has been solid but defensively has left more to be desired.

Oladipo is a player that brings effort on both sides of the floor. For that reason, expect the coaching staff to lean on him down the stretch.

Lamb may not be the only Pacer to be impacted by Oladipo’s increased minutes. Point guard Aaron Holiday could also see his role decrease.

Holiday has averaged 22 minutes played per game this season but did not see any action in the Pacers’ last two games.

The last two games Holiday played in, he only logged 11 and seven minutes. This was due to the inclusion of Oladipo into the rotation for longer stints.

Unfortunately for Holiday, due to Oladipo’s increase in minutes, expect that trend to continue.

It’s great news for Pacers fans to know that Oladipo is returning well from an injury that kept him out an entire calendar year. Increased minutes will hopefully correlate to more consistent play from Oladipo as well. With 27 games remaining, expect the Pacers to make a push and put themselves into the conversation as being one of the more complete teams in the Eastern Conference.