It has been a few years since 2-time All-Star Victor Oladipo was seen at his best in the NBA. The 2nd overall pick of the 2013 NBA draft, Oladipo had his best time playing for the Indiana Pacers (2017-21), which saw him get both of his All-Star appearances. Since then, however, Oladipo has had consistent injury troubles and last played for the Miami Heat.
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He was recently traded to the Houston Rockets after an initial trade to the OKC Thunder. Set to earn $9,450,000 during the upcoming season, Oladipo was recently claimed to be one of the hardest players to guard back in 2018, by Pelicans star Larry Nance Jr.
The tweet was shared by Ballislife on Instagram, along with a clip of some of Oladipo’s highlights. The post led to a response from the player himself, who claimed that he was still just as difficult to guard. The overall exchange was also posted on Twitter by Tragicpatek.
Victor Oladipo sends out a warning to the rest of the NBA on Instagram
After joining the Orlando Magic, Oladipo quickly took to the NBA. He produced 13.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game in his rookie season and continued to improve until injury troubles.
Oladipo’s move to the Indiana Pacers saw him produce two of his best seasons to date. He breached the 20-point mark for the first and the only time till now during the 2017-18 season. Some of the highlights seem to have left a lasting impact on Larry Nance Jr.
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The New Orleans Pelicans star initially tweeted that he thought Victor was one of the most difficult players to guard back in 2019. Once shared on Instagram, Oladipo himself responded to the post, claiming that he was still just as difficult to contain:
“I still am #itaintover.”
Oladipo has a message for his doubters pic.twitter.com/jQCvJp6NYo
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) October 18, 2023
Oladipo will be turning up for the Houston Rockets and will earn $9,450,000 if he is not traded again. While consistent injuries, most notably a major left knee injury, have had a huge impact on his career, Oladipo is not ready to throw in the towel just yet.
The player has all the skills necessary to re-establish himself as a 2-way threat, and if fit, might just be able to, for the Houston Rockets.
Victor Oladipo was a big problem during the Indiana Pacers’ years
Oladipo’s impact during the 2017-18 season saw the Pacers make the postseason back in 2018. Pitted against a talented Cleveland Cavaliers that boasted of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin Love, Oladipo threatened to run the show.
He helped his team win games 1,3 and 6, and pushed the Cavaliers down to the wires. Oladipo was a huge threat throughout the series on both ends of the court and produced 3 double-doubles in the final 3 matches.
This includes a statline of 28 points, 10 assists, and 13 rebounds in game 6, which came alongside 4 steals. Oladipo almost single-handedly won his team the game 6, and the series could easily have looked different if he had some more support.
