Exploring Victor Oladipo’s breakout season

When the Pacers finally ended the Paul George Era this summer, the haul they received in return was considered to be underwhelming. Domantas Sabonis was coming off a disappointing rookie season, while Victor Oladipo — once thought to be a potential All-Star — had failed to stand out within the Thunder’s offense. There was some mild excitement over Oladipo returning to Indiana, where he thrived as a college player, but that was about it. It was yet another case of a team shipping off their superstar without any bargaining power and getting pennies in return.

Or so it seemed.

The Pacers were supposed to be a middling lottery team this season, but they’re 14-11 instead, and looking quite competitive in a congested Eastern Conference. A big part of the Pacers’ surprisingly competent play has been Oladipo, who is having one of the league’s most stunning breakouts. Oladipo is averaging a career-high 23.3 points per game, and has established himself not only as the Pacers leader, but as a relentlessly assertive scorer, the type of player many thought he’d become when the Magic took him with the second pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Right when it was starting to look like Oladipo would prove to be a bust, he’s found another level to his game, and now looks like one of the best shooting guards in the league.

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How is this happening? A big part of it is Oladipo taking a more active role in the offense. In his lone year with the Thunder, Oladipo had to play second fiddle not just to Russell Westbrook but to the Russell Westbrook Revenge Tour. As their best player, it made sense that Westbrook would be the first option, but he completely dominated the ball, and the fluidity of Oladipo’s game suffered. If Oladipo was feeling it, how could he take over a game when he knew that Westbrook’s quest for 30-10-10 ruled everything around him?

On the Pacers, Oladipo gets to be in charge of his game. His usage rate has increased from a career-low 21.4 percent with the Thunder to a career-high 30.1 percent with the Pacers. Oladipo is playing like someone who has never gotten the chance to run a team before (even though he was not completely successful with that kind of opportunity in Orlando to begin his career), and he’s cherishing every minute of it.

This is far from the only reason Oladipo is having a career year, though. There’s also the fact that he’s just become a better shooter. His 3-point shooting has sky-rocketed from 36.1 percent to 43.7 percent, and he’s shooting a career high 48.0 percent from the field. Oladipo has also gotten better near the basket, as he’s averaging a career-high 64.4 percent on shots from within three feet of the hoop.

Oladipo’s improvement from the field could be at least partially explained by spacing, as the Pacers are the second-best 3-point shooting team in the league at 39.5 percent, but it also just feels like Oladipo has become a more assertive scorer. In Orlando, he was stuck on an anonymous, identity-devoid team that kept shifting its roster every year. In Oklahoma City, sharing the court with Westbrook made him even more invisible. Now, it feels like Oladipo has finally figured out what kind of basketball player he is, and it’s resulted in him playing the most efficient ball of his career.

The interesting question is whether or not Oladipo will be rewarded for his breakout season with an All-Star nod. The resume is certainly strong — he’s the clear best player on a team that wasn’t expected to do anything and now seems likely to make the playoffs. At the same time, however, the Eastern Conference is full of quality guards, so it won’t be a no-brainer. Bradley Beal is having the best season of his career, and there’s a case to be made that he’s actually upstaged John Wall in the Wizards backcourt. Likewise, with the Raptors at 15-7, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan will both be hard to deny. Then there’s Kyrie Irving’s career year in Boston, and Ben Simmons emerging as one of the most eye-popping rookies in years.

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This isn’t to say that Oladipo won’t make the All-Star team, just that it’s a crowded field, one where a deserving player could be the odd-man out just because there’s so many options. But whether he gets the All-Star nod or not, Oladipo is already one of this season’s biggest winners. He’s shaken off any notion that he’s a bust, and has become an excellent scorer, and an essential piece of the Pacers future. The Paul George trade may have seemed lopsided at the time, but Oladipo’s rise (and Sabonis’ steady improvement) has balanced it out considerably, and left the Pacers future looking far brighter than anyone would have imagined.