Oladipo grows into All-Star
Ever since the Orlando Magic traded Dwight Howard in 2012, the team’s coaches, executives and fans have shared one lament in common: The Magic have lacked All-Star-caliber players.
And now, 5½ years into a frustrating rebuild that has no end in sight, the franchise and its fans must confront an even more painful truth: The Magic had an All-Star-caliber player on their roster and traded him and another promising youngster away in one of the most disastrous moves in team history.
Eastern Conference coaches recently selected former Magic guard Victor Oladipo as an 2018 NBA All-Star Game reserve.
Oladipo deserves the honor. He led the Indiana Pacers to a 26-22 start even though most experts expected the Pacers to struggle. Oladipo also has blossomed on offense, averaging career highs in points, field-goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
“I’m so, so, so, so happy for Victor,” Magic forward Aaron Gordon said. “He just works so hard. He’s so talented and skilled, and he really deserves it. He’s playing so well. He’s back in his comfort zone in Indiana. Man, I’m so happy that everything worked out for him. I miss playing with him. That’s for sure.”
In Oladipo’s three seasons in Orlando, Oladipo established himself as the team’s grittiest player, its most tenacious perimeter defender and one of its biggest contributors in the community. At the same time, however, Oladipo never quite lived up to the expectations that came with being the second overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. His offensive game was notoriously inefficient and raw, and he never shot better than 34.8 percent from 3-point range over a full season.
On draft day in 2016, when Rob Hennigan was the Magic’s general manager, the team traded Oladipo and the draft rights to big man Domantas Sabonis to the Oklahoma City Thunder for big man Serge Ibaka. The trade seemed to make sense because Evan Fournier also played on the wing, was a better long-range shooter than Oladipo and was approaching restricted free agency. The Magic intended to re-sign Fournier, and with Oladipo one year away from becoming a restricted free agent, team officials were hesitant to devote so much salary to two players who played the same position.
Ibaka was a poor fit in Orlando. He underperformed on the defensive end of the floor and never got along with most of his teammates. In February, with Ibaka headed toward unrestricted free agency, the Magic traded him to the Toronto Raptors for Terrence Ross and a future draft pick.
Oladipo didn’t show significant improvement in Oklahoma City. Although his long-range shooting numbers crept up to 36.1 percent, he was a clear second or third option on offense behind MVP Russell Westbrook.
But this past offseason, the Thunder traded Oladipo and Sabonis to the Pacers for Paul George, and Oladipo has flourished ever since.
The Pacers anointed him as their top option on offense, and he has made the most of the opportunity, averaging 24.1 points per game and shooting 40.1 percent from beyond the arc through Thursday.
“He’s a good friend of mine, more of a brother,” Magic point guard Elfrid Payton said. “I’m so happy for him, so glad he got his opportunity, because a lot of times that’s what it’s about: the opportunity and situation. He’s thriving in that situation.”
For Magic fans, it must be tantalizing to wonder what would’ve happened if the team had kept Oladipo. But Payton said there would be no guarantees that Oladipo would’ve blossomed if he had remained with the Magic.
“I think we would be further along, but it’s tough to say because who knows if he’s getting those opportunities here?” Payton said.
“He’s been able to get the ball and been given the keys to their team, and they need him to score and do the things that he’s doing. He’s thriving. He’s playing really well. We don’t know if he would be able to do that here, if he would be getting those opportunities. We’ve got Evan here. We’ve got A.G. [Gordon] here. We don’t know if he would be getting those same attempts.”