Indiana Pacers star guard Victor Oladipo will have his minutes restriction lifted by the team after recently returning from a quad injury. Per the Associated Press' Brian Mahoney, the team expects the shooting guard to play regular minutes Friday against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Victor Oladipo's minutes restrictions will be gone starting Friday when the Pacers visit the Knicks. https://t.co/Uh6LhdTx9t
— Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) February 20, 2020
Oladipo, 27, a two-time All-Star and former Most Improved Player, ruptured his quad tendon in late-January of 2019. The Indiana Hoosier product made his 2019-20 season debut with Indiana on Jan. 29, 2020, against the Chicago Bulls, scoring nine points in approximately 21 points.
Since then, Oladipo has averaged 11.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 25.0 minutes per game for the Pacers, shooting 32.9 percent from the field and 24.4 percent from 3-point range in seven total games and four starts.
With everything clear, Oladipo's lack of minutes restriction is a good sign that the ex-Thunder guard is healthy and ready to fully contribute on the hardwood for the Pacers, who are sixth in the Eastern Conference and jockeying for a better playoff seed in the impending postseason. The All-Star break is behind the Pacers and Oladipo's health plus fit with other pieces like former Rookie of the Year with the Milwaukee Bucks Malcolm Brogdon, acquired as a restricted free agent last summer, and big man and first-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis.
After the Pacers' road matchup with the lowly Knicks, they face a major challenge in the reigning champion Toronto Raptors, which will certainly be a huge test to see how Indiana matches with one of the top teams in the east.
As Oladipo feels healthier every day, the star guard will certainly see more responsibility and pressure to lead this Pacers unit to the promised land.
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