Houston Rockets shooting guard Victor Oladipo has had a tumultuous last few NBA seasons. He ruptured the quad tendon in his right leg on January 24th, 2019 and has been trying to round back into shape ever since.
He returned for 19 games last season but did not look like himself. He was rusty and it showed in his performance, as he put up career-low shooting numbers and was not as impactful defensively.
With an extended period to rest because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was some hope for Oladipo during the 2020-21 season. In the early going, he looked like he was returning to his old self.
In nine games with the Indiana Pacers, Oladipo averaged 20 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He was making 36.2 percent of his 3-point attempts and looked to be rounding into shape. The Pacers were playing good basketball and spirits were high. Then, he was traded to the Houston Rockets and took a step back.
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Oladipo was a part of the James Harden blockbuster trade, landing in Houston with Caris LeVert heading to Indiana. Since arriving in Houston, Oladipo has seen his efficiency on offense plummet and he has battled a foot injury and some right quad maintenance days as well.
While he has shown flashes of returning to the player he was blossoming into in 2018, an NBA executive doesn’t see it happening. They offered some brutally honest feedback to NBA Analysis Network on Oladipo and his current state.
“Victor Oladipo has been putting up some numbers, but he isn’t getting back to his old self. Those days are gone. Teams who are looking to trade for him won’t be getting the All-Star version. Oladipo is a middle-of-the-pack player who can score decently when given 15-20 shots.”
-NBA exec on Rockets’ Victor Oladipo
That is certainly concerning. There are not many teams that have 15-20 shots available per game for Oladipo that are looking to win games. Those 15-20 shots are very efficient, as he has seen his shooting percentage drop to 38.7 percent in Houston, 31.3 percent from the 3-point line.
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Teams looking to acquire him need to truly evaluate his fit within the roster. Based on what the executive said, Oladipo is better suited as a complementary role, someone who is capable of blow-up games but won’t offer them consistently.
The New York Knicks have been one of the teams rumored to be monitoring the Victor Oladipo situation. The Golden State Warriors are another team to reportedly keep an eye on as the former Indiana product is likely to be traded before the March 25th deadline.
