Ranking each of Victor Oladipo’s games for the Pacers this season
By Josh Wilson
That’s the Victor Oladipo we love and know
6. Win over Milwaukee, February 12
A win over the best team in the East? You bet this is top-6.
Now, Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t playing in this one, but hey, just let us have this one, OK?
All five Pacers starters scored in double-digits this game, including Oladipo who had 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. This would make four games in a row where Oladipo reached double-digit points.
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5. Win over the Blazers, February 27
A six-point win for the Pacers, and a 15 point, 7 rebound, 2 assist game from Oladipo. Further proof of the consistent efforts and the groove he is starting to settle into.
4. Loss to the Celtics, March 10
This would become the last Pacers game before the sudden hiatus. ‘Dipo left his mark before the season went to the break.
Victor put up 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. This is probably the closest an entire game has come to vintage Victor. While other games had better signature moments, Oladipo was hot from start to finish here.
This was also his best 3-point shooting game of the year so far, as he went 5-of-7 beyond the arc.
Had the Pacers won this one, this may be first or second on the list.
3. Win over the Cavaliers, February 29
To close out February, Pacers fans were gifted the best Oladipo performance to date. He would break his then season-high in points by putting up 19, complementing that with 3 rebounds and an assist.
2. Win over the Bulls, March 6
16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists for Oladipo and a 6-point win for Indy. Oladipo was a +9 in this one, coming in second to Domantas Sabonis for points.
The Pacers had a wonky lineup for this one and had to see efforts from JaKarr Sampson and Edmond Sumner to get the W, but get the W they would.
1. Win over the Bulls, Oladipo’s return, January 29
In a vacuum, if you’re just looking at numbers and total impact, this shouldn’t be first on this list. Not even close. If you look at points scored, this is Oladipo’s 10th-best game this year. It was his 11th-best shooting performance. In terms of gamescore on Basketball Reference, it’s his 10th best game.
And maybe if the season had continued trucking along we wouldn’t hold this moment and its preciousness so closely, but given that basketball was snatched so suddenly from us, we tend to hold these games near and dear and miss the way they made us feel.
This was Oladipo’s first game back in over a year. His first time playing in front of the home crowd and the first time Pacers fans had gotten to see their star and some semblance of what this team could be all season long.
This was the moment Pacers fans anticipated all year long. An entire year of waiting and Oladipo did quite alright all things considered.
Then there was the final bucket, the moment that made this the best game from Oladipo.
This was a bold, deep bucket that very few players in this league have any business even trying. Even better, this was to tie the game and ultimately send it to overtime. It’s cold, but it’s exactly what we have come to expect from Oladipo, all in his first game back.
Here’s to more moments like this in the near future.