Tuesday 21 July 2020 10:44, UK
The Indiana Pacers can make a serious playoff run if a fully healthy and confident Victor Oladipo returns to their line-up, says former NBA coach Sam Mitchell.
Oladipo returned to the Indiana line-up in January 2020 after missing 12 months because of a knee injury. He played in 13 games before the regular season was suspended on March 11 but looked some way short of his best.
Oladipo initially opted out of joining his Pacers team-mates at the restart in Orlando but, after travelling to the central Florida campus and participating in a series of workouts, the two-time All-Star has had a change of heart.
"If the situation keeps trending up, there is a strong possibility that I might play," Oladipo said. "I'm definitely here trying to play and training myself to prepare to play."
"A few weeks ago I made a decision that I felt was best for my career. Coming [to Orlando] and reassessing it, then making a decision, there is a possibility that I might play. It's going to be a collective decision."
Pacers coach Nate McMillan, who has guided his team to a 39-26 record, said of Oladipo: "He has been going through practice and looking good. He has been working extremely hard. What he brings is another strong weapon to our line-up. He is very capable in terms of scoring and creating but he also does a good job of defending. Having him in our line-up adds to our depth."
On NBA TV's Gametime, Mitchell was asked how big a threat the Pacers are with a healthy Oladipo in their line-up.
"If they are going to compete and go deep into the playoffs, they need a healthy Victor Oladipo. He is their best player and the guy they give the ball to when they need a basket. He can create for himself or someone else," he said.
"The big question mark for Victor [has been]: when he came back and played those 13 games before the shutdown, he just didn't look like himself and struggled with his shooting and his game. I think that put doubt in his mind over whether he was really healthy or not.
"When you miss as much time as he has missed, your timing and everything is going to be off. Playing one-on-one against a coach or doing drills is not the same as live action basketball. And then you take that from a practice situation to a game situation where you know guys are going to attack you because you're coming back from injury. That has created a lot of doubt in his mind."
Mitchell said Oladipo had done the right thing in going to Orlando with his team-mates and feels the belief he will gain from playing in Indiana's preseason scrimmage games will be critical to him making a telling contribution to the remainder of the Pacers' season.
"By practising with the team he is starting to gain some confidence. And with these exhibition [scrimmage] games coming up, it's going to give him a good opportunity to see where he is health-wise and to let him gain confidence in his body.
"Once he does that and fits back into the groove, Indiana are going to be an excellent or even better team. You are talking about (Malcolm) Brogdon and Oladipo in the backcourt, two guys who can make plays, handle the ball, shoot and score, along with the rest of the group the Pacers have.
"They definitely need Oladipo to have a chance of making a serious run in this shortened version of the season."
