Indiana Pacers shooting guard Victor Oladipo plans to ramp up on-court activity next week and evaluate his repaired torn quad tendon prior to making a final commitment to playing in the season’s restart in Orlando, Florida, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Oladipo only appeared in 13 games for the Pacers before the 2019-20 season was suspended in March. The high-flyer missed most of the campaign recovering from the quad injury he suffered in 2018-19. Oladipo commented on his recovery to ESPN,
“I feel a whole lot better … I know there's risk going into it with the unique situation that I'm in — being off so long and trying to ramp it up that fast. I've just got to be smart, that's all.”
The Pacers are among the 22 teams scheduled to partake in the “bubble” games at Walt Disney World. Indiana is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings and has already clinched a playoff spot.
In the 13 games he played in before the season was suspended in March, Oladipo averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists. The two-time All-Star and former Most Improved Player of the Year shot 39.1 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from beyond the arc and 78.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Oladipo will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2021 unless the Pacers sign him to an extension before then. Since players are prone to get hurt at Disney World because they haven't played in such a long time, Oladipo needs to make sure his surgically-repaired quad tendon is ready for the “bubble” games and the physical exertion of NBA basketball.
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