Indiana Pacers: 3 reasons why Victor Oladipo will be an All-Star next season
By Josh Wilson
The timelines are perfect for Victor Oladipo and Indiana Pacers to surge
As we’ve gone over, Oladipo is in-line for a major season. He’ll be able to come back fresh and healthy at the start of the year with motivation to earn his next big payday.
While individual performances are what generally propel All-Star campaigns and selections, team success is extremely important, too. Devin Booker was not initially selected as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team this year in large part due to the fact that the team around him was not excelling. He was later added as an injury replacement.
Pre-All-Star break, Booker was averaging 26.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game on 49.6 percent shooting from the field.
It takes a lot to make an All-Star team with a poor team around you that isn’t winning meaningful games.
Luckily for Oladipo, the timelines match up really well. Sabonis is establishing himself as a legitimate top-tier big man in the league, he has a solid backcourt running mate in Malcolm Brogdon, and the Pacers have put scoring weapons around those two like T.J. Warren and Doug McDermott.
The Pacers are, partially due to the potential of Oladipo leaving after next season, in a dire situation where they need to perform at the highest level possible next year.
If they don’t, it could impact the team’s future and force them to launch into yet another major retool, the second one in recent history after Paul George forced them into the first one that landed them Sabonis and Oladipo.
Everyone in this organization from the top down is incentivized to put their best foot forward next year. Kevin Pritchard would certainly like to avoid a retool. Nate McMillan can establish himself as the team’s certain coach of the future with a solid showing of leadership next year. The players, of course, want to win.
Oladipo is going to do what Oladipo does, but it will be the team that gives him an increased platform to stand on when it comes to All-Star voting.
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