Oladipo, Marble now share common goal
Victor Oladipo and Devyn Marble were rivals once. They weren’t recruited heavily out of high school, and in 2010 each of them enrolled at cellar-dwelling Big Ten schools. Oladipo landed at Indiana University, while Marble picked the University of Iowa.
They matched up against each other every time the Hoosiers and Hawk eyes played.
“Itwas always a constant battle,” Marble said. “I think the rivalry just started with the fact that we were the two worst teams in the league, so we wanted to compete our freshman year. We just felt like thiswas a game we both can win.
“We were just going at it. Just the competitive nature
comes out of you. He was one of the better players in the league and so was I. So for us it was a marquee matchup.”
These days, Oladipo and Marble are teaming up on the Orlando Magic’s entry into the Orlando Pro Summer League.
Oladipo is the established player, fresh off a well-received rookie season.
Marble is fighting for his basketball life. As the 56th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, he has no guarantees that he’ll be on an NBA roster once the regular season begins.
So far, Marble has done well.
He scored seven points and collected six rebounds Tuesday intheMagic’s 80-73 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Oladipo leads the team in scoring and rebounding, but Marble ranks second in both categories, averaging 9.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
“He can flat-out bucket, flat-outscoretheball,” Oladipo said.
Marble played both guard positions at Iowa, but with Orlando, he is playing at small forward.
The biggest adjustment has come on the defensive end, where he has guarded bigger players than he guarded in college.
But Marble has shown some versatility, and that versatility could allowhimto make anNBAroster.
“He’s got a good feel for the game and understands the nuances,” Magic summer-league coach Wes UnseldJr. said.“He’s able tobea playmaker at times. He’s worked on his catch-andshoot offense and is able to initiate for us. It’s a different dimension at that position, I think.”
Marble has a famous name: He’s the son of former Iowa star and former NBA playerRoyMarble.
“Our games are not similar at all,” Devyn said. “He wasmore of a slasher, amore athletic guy. I’m more of a playmaker and scorer. We both can defend, but our games a very different.
“We had two completely different paths. Iwascoming in to change the culture. He was there going into something that was already built. So I felt like what I did at Iowa was very special with the guys that I did it with.”
Father and son also took different paths to the pros.
Roy Marble was a firstround pick in 1989.
Devyn Marble, on the other hand, had a more anxious draft night.
On draft day, the Magic sent Arron Afflalo to the Denver Nuggets for Evan Fournier and the 56th pick, and that pick turned out to beMarble.
Marble had no idea the Magic were interested in him. He said he didn’t work out for Orlando and wasn’t interviewed by Orlando at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
“I’m just happy they took me,” Marble said, referring to theMagic.