Indiana Pacers: Victor Oladipo’s future in the bubble isn’t certain
By Nick Alvarez
Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo’s future in the bubble still uncertain
One of the most compelling teams in the NBA as the season is starting to resume in Orlando has been the Indiana Pacers, and really all the intrigue is because of one player. Victor Oladipo. Recovering from a devastating quad injury from a year ago, Victor Oladipo appeared with the Pacers towards the end of the year and looked like he was going to need time to get back to form.
With time though it was expected that the Pacers could contend in the East with Oladipo healthy. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and Victor Oladipo, like the rest of the league, needed to pause everything. Once the NBA made its plan to come back with a “bubble” setting in Orlando, it initially seemed like Victor Oladipo was going to opt-out and not risk re-injuring his quad by ramping up to play too quickly.
Now, yet again, the Pacers story took another twist as Oladipo did come to Orlando with his team, and was practicing with the Pacers. Reports began speculating that Oladipo might actually play after all.
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It appears we may actually have that answer and the conclusion to a bit of whirlwind news cycle for the Pacers as Oladipo played in the team’s first scrimmage game yesterday. According to ESPN’s Royce Young however, Oladipo’s appearance in the scrimmage game doesn’t mean he’s going to play the rest of the way.
How did Victor Oladipo perform in the scrimmage?
With the uncertainty continuing for Oladipo’s future the only thing we can do is look at his performance with the Pacers during their scrimmage and see what we can make of it. The first impression is actually a shaky one.
Victor Oladipo looked rusty and slow, to say the least, in the Pacers’ first game against the Portland Trail Blazers. In 19 minutes of game action, the All-Star shooting guard put up only eight points and six rebounds on 30 percent shooting.
Though the team won the game 91-88, Oladipo didn’t play that big of a roll in it, in fact, he looked very concerning at times. The aggression when it came to driving to the rim that Oladipo was known for just didn’t seem to be there. In a few instances during the game rather than drive all the way to the basket, he settled for mid-range pull-ups that would miss.
A player known for being good at getting to the free-throw line didn’t have a single trip to the line in the game.
At the same time, it wasn’t all bad for Oladipo, he showed some shiftiness to his game that was a hallmark for him during his peak performances in Indiana. He nailed two 3-pointers during the game which were big signs for Oladipo continuing to improve his outside shot, and he played with effort on the defensive end showing just how deadly a healthy Brogdon-Oladipo backcourt could be.
What did the scrimmage mean for Victor Oladipo’s future?
Right now the scrimmage just shows the Oladipo is still getting his feet under him and it’s unclear what that might lead to. He’s told reporters that he feels good, that he is continuing to self-assess and looking to improve.
What this most likely means is that Oladipo is unlikely to make a true decision until after all the Pacers scrimmages are complete. If Oladipo can improve and shake off more of the rust in his game along with bringing back some of his aggression then the Pacers will probably have him for the playoffs and could be a real threat in the Eastern Conference.
If Oladipo isn’t able to do that though, then the situation becomes more concerning. Did that injury completely change Oladipo as a player? What do the Indiana Pacers do with his future? Oladipo not playing the rest of the way after playing in scrimmage will open the door to a lot of questions.
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Regardless of what may happen this roller-coaster ride is not over, and we should be keeping our eyes on the Indiana Pacers.