Indiana Pacers shooting guard Victor Oladipo recently made his return to the court after missing over a year due to a ruptured quad tendon in his knee.
The Pacers might have thought Oladipo's return would give them a boost as they look to make noise in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, the opposite has happened. Oladipo's return hasn't been pretty and Indiana is currently facing a five-game losing skid (he sat out Saturday's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans). The club is 1-5 since Oladipo's return, and the one win was an overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls that easily could have been a loss.
The Pacers, however, should not let their current slide get into their heads and instead focus on the long view. There is no reason for them to push the panic button at this point. They need to remain patient with Oladipo while he makes his way back into his All-Star form.
The Pacers understandably eased the 6-foot-4 guard back into the lineup initially, bringing him off the bench for his first three games since the injury. Oladipo rejoined the starting lineup in back-to-back games against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday and Friday.
Oladipo has seen his minutes increase incrementally over his first five games. But, as mentioned, he clearly isn't himself out there just yet.
Since returning to the floor, the 27-year old is averaging just 10.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 28.1 percent from the field and 21.2 percent from long range. This is a far cry from his 2017-18 All-Star numbers and even his career averages.
However, given the significant amount of time he missed over the past year, it's understandable that Oladipo is still nowhere near the All-Star form he possessed prior to going down with the major knee injury.
It's clear that Oladipo's rhythm is off. and it may take some time before he regains his explosiveness and athleticism. Likewise, it's hard to forget about the mental side of the injury. Perhaps the memory of blowing out his knee is still in the back of his mind and having an effect on his game through his first couple of months back.
It's no secret that coming back from major injuries is tough.
Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward, who suffered a broken ankle at the start of the 2017-18 season, struggled through the entire 2018-19 season. Now, it seems like the season-long struggles were something he had to go through to finally regain his form this year.
Dallas Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis also came back from a torn ACL this season after sitting out the entire 2018-19 campaign. While he has shown flashes of the All-Star form he had prior to the devastating knee injury, Porzingis has struggled with his shot and his rhythm for most of the season.
Victor Oladipo is no different. He needs to go through these struggles in order to once again become the two-way star the Pacers need him to be. Indiana, in turn, just needs to be patient with him, and there's zero concern about missing the playoffs at this point. The Pacers are still 31-22, which is seven games ahead of the seventh-seeded Brooklyn Nets and nine games ahead of the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic.
Once Oladipo finds his groove again, Indiana should be a force to be reckoned with.
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