The Indiana Pacers are among the big surprises of the current season. Instead of rebuild, the course is set for playoff races. A central element of the upswing is Victor Oladipo, who after four years and two trades almost disappeared in the grey mediocrity.
Victor Oladipo had a different idea of his summer. Calmer. Oladipo was part of the “new” Oklahoma City Thunder, his four-year contract with the franchise was less than a year old. The team missed the second playoff round last season, individual training and the organisation of basketball camps were the focus of Oladipos plans for the long summer. But things should turn out differently.
It was the first. July, Oladipo flew back to his home state Maryland after a training camp in Oklahoma. When he left the plane, one of his companions turned around:”You were being traded to the Pacers just for Paul George””Don’t give a crap,”Oladipo replied, only to find out a few moments later by looking at his own smartphone: the companion was right.
It was a hard blow for the 25-year-old:”To be traded twice in such a short period of time gives you the feeling that people don’t want to have you,”he explained.”You question yourself. Doubts creep in on you.”
But the doubts should not last long. His family and Tom Crean, his former college coach, talked him through. Oladipo had his most successful time as a basketball player at the University of Indiana, and he also played a much more important role at the Pacers than in OKC: Franchise Player instead of Role Players.
But however positive Oladipos’ personal prospects may have been, the Pacers’ future looked different. The Thunder were celebrated as the clear winner of the trade. Indiana had been pulled over the table, was scored. The only way out of the franchise: Rebuild. Tanking.”Of course, that bothers me,”Oladipo was angry at the time,”but people have their opinion, I can’t control it. The only thing I can control is how hard I work.”
And Oladipo worked hard. During the off-season, he took two or sometimes three training sessions a day, worked with his own coach, hired a personal chef and took almost ten kilos,”The way he works on himself is contagious,”enthused teammate Lance Stephenson,”He gets everyone to play hard. He’s the first one there every day.”
Oladipo’s trying to move ahead. After leading his team to last-minute victory over the Bulls last week with 27 points and a threesome at the edge of the field, one could watch him doing push-ups immediately after the end of the match. Self-punishment. The reason for this was that he had awarded a free-throw at the end of the game.
So far, it’s paying off. After 27 games, the Pacers have 16 wins to their name. The team, which many experts had predicted at the beginning of the season, is on a play-off course. The lead over the Philadelphia 76ers, currently ninth, is already 3.5 victories, also because Oladipo turned up and set a new career high against the Denver Nuggets with 47 points.
Just before the end of the regular season, Dipo had missed out on a possible equaliser, but fellow player Thaddeus Young typed the rebound into the basket and Pacers were still victorious in overtime,”I think our success depends heavily on the personalities in our team,”explains Oladipo.”If you’re surrounded by good people, he’s kind of on his own.”
The ego is put behind the team. When Al Jefferson learned in the training camp that he was supposed to be more of a mentor this season and would play less, he accepted his role. He also agreed when Stephenson was to leave his place as a starter for Oladipo again.
“It’s something you can’t learn. Most of us have only known each other for four or five months, but we still do a lot of things together. I’ve played in teams where you never meet your teammates. You’re on your own privately. This is pretty cool.”
It would be easy to interpret Oladipos statements as criticism of his former team mates, especially Russell Westbrook, but Oladipo makes it clear that this is not the case:”I learned so much from Russ. His attitude, his untiring morals. These things definitely shaped me.”
Whether or not it is due to Westbrook’s influence or not is a matter of doubt, but Oladipo actually plays his best basketball of all time by far. Throughout his entire NBA career, the Shooting Guard scored over a period of only three months on his scoring average of over 20 points per game. It has so far marked around 24 points for the Pacers. They have given him back his confidence,”even LeBron James was impressed after the defeat of his Cavaliers in Indiana,” If he doesn’t hit three or four throws in a row, he doesn’t mind – as long as he gets good throws, he takes them.”
Oladipo plays faster and more aggressive. He scores more points in Transition than ever before in his career. A style of play that his coach expects from him: Nate McMilan studied his newcomer over the summer and came to the conclusion that he had to use Oladipos speed more – firmly in the belief that he could turn the Guard into a star.
But Oladipos development doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It is also a product of external circumstances. His coach, the team chemistry – but also the qualities of his fellow players. Although he is – unlike in Oklahoma City – the focus of the offense, Oladipo gets more open throws than ever before.
While Andre Roberson and Russell Westbrook had qualities rather than shooters last season, Cory Joseph, Darren Collison and Bojan Bogdanovic open the field for him this season. With 39.5 percent, the Pacers have the second best three-way ratio in the league – only the Warriors are even better.
While the Thunders, with a record of 12 victories and 13 defeats, are running far behind their own claims, the Pacers are on the upswing – and suddenly appear to be like the winner of the trades in summer “If you want to win here, you have to cut the snake’s head off. Last season was Paul George, now it’s Victor Oladipo,”James Oladipo’s development paid homage to the leader.
As a number-two-pick, it came to the NBA in 2013 with advance laurels. After four rather solid years, Oladipo was almost a disappointment. Today, the 25-year-old still seems to be able to meet the expectations of his time with a little delay:”I was told that people believe in me and my abilities,”he says about his arrival in Indiana.”It’s a good feeling when someone believes in you as much as you do yourself.”.
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