The Miami Heat acquired Victor Oladipo during the 2021 trade deadline with one thing in mind: to add an All-Star caliber running mate alongside Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and the burgeoning Tyler Herro. However, injury woes have gotten the best out of Oladipo over the past two and a half seasons. Since arriving in South Beach, the 30-year old guard has only played in 38 total games (postseason and regular season combined).

But it seems as if Oladipo is inching closer to his pre-injury form, especially after his impressive 23-point performance in their rousing 126-123 victory over the Utah Jazz off a Herro game-winner. Nonetheless, it has been a difficult past few years for the former All-Star, especially as he tries to work his way back from a plethora of lower-body injuries, particularly to his knee and quad.

“Honestly, it’s tough because I have an expectation of myself. When I say that, I mean like I expect big things when it comes to this game and I’ve done great things in my career in this game and I don’t expect anything less from me,” Oladipo said, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “When it’s in the process, I’m human and you sometimes get a little frustrated.”

However, despite the considerable frustrations Victor Oladipo has had to endure, he is still putting in the work especially with the Heat looking to climb up the Eastern Conference standings. And it's all thanks to Oladipo's strong pep talk towards himself that he's able to find the right mindset to endure the difficulties he has encountered.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Bulls Vs. Heat Play In Results Simulated With NBA 2K24

Massimo Marchiano ·

Miami Heat star Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo looking at Chicago Bulls stars Coby White and Nikola Vucevic in front of the Kaseya Center.

Zachary Weinberger ·

Bulls Heat prediction

Cameron Zunkel ·

“You have to deflect and take a step back and realize, ‘Bro, you had a pretty different journey, champ.’ So it’s going to take some time. But at the end of the day, it’s all about working hard and that’s what I do. I just got to keep working and like I said, as I continue to keep doing that, I’ll build a level of consistency and I can live with the results,” Oladipo added.

Victor Oladipo still misses a few games here and there for injury maintenance, but the Heat have given him a larger role as of late, especially amid Jimmy Butler's bouts with injuries. He may not be all the way back yet to his Indiana Pacers form, but his continued improvement as he recovers further away from his major injuries will be crucial to the Heat's efforts to make some noise in the East.