Victor Oladipo will be entering his fourth year in the league and there is no better time for him to step up and explode onto the scene than now. Oladipo has generally lived a life out of the spotlight; being one of the best players on the Orlando Magic does not do much for you.
This season will be different, though. All eyes will be on Oladipo as he takes a spot right next to Russell Westbrook in an effort to move on from Kevin Durant. The Thunder are no doubt the best team that Oladipo has played for (hard to argue against a team of Westbrook and Steven Adams), and he will pay huge dividends because of it.
Over the course of his career, Oladipo has averaged 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists a game, if everything goes right for Oladipo then those numbers should only get higher. Last season Oladipo was kind of in a limbo with the Magic, he was bouncing back and forth between being a starter and a sixth man, something about that team did not fit Oladipo's chemistry well. He should be able to find a better fit in OKC with the explosiveness of Westbrook by his side. Opposing teams should be afraid of Oladipo/Westbrook fast breaks, both of those guys have speed and can to explode to the rim like there is no tomorrow.
Oladipo and Westbrook have already been working out together this summer; just check out Westbrook's snap chat for prove of it. When asked about playing with Westbrook, Oladipo had this to say:
“And definitely going to be fun to play with him. [We have a] similar mentality. It's going to be very interesting to see how that works.”
Oladipo went on to say that Westbrook contacted him shortly after he was traded to the Thunder and asked if he was ready. The two are locked in for a championship-run.
What could be more important to Oladipo's play on the court is having Enes Kanter and Steven Adams down low. Oladipo has the ability to get to the rim on effective pick-and-roll plays with those two players. The two will also give him a safety net if he does not have success putting the ball in the basket; they rebound like no other. Oladipo will be given freedom and a team to lead if he so chooses to lead them. He will also have some stability as his old teammate from Orlando, Ersan Ilyasova, has also joined the OKC. When Oladipo attacks the rim with Adams or Kanter, open shots for Ilyasova will be created.
All of the teammates Oladipo will have by his side sound great but the biggest asset the Thunder might have for him is their coaching. Head coach Billy Donovan is the type of leader who will give Oladipo chances to win, to be himself, and to grow. Donovan has assistant Mo Cheeks by his side also, and many believe Mo to be a “point guard whisperer.”
While Oladipo will not be the starting point guard for OKC, Cheeks will still be able to put some of the good point guard traits in him. Oladipo will also most likely stagger minutes with Russell Westbrook, like Kevin Durant did last season, so he will have his own time on the court to run the offense.
Oladipo has so much more to give on the court than what we have seen from him in the past. The Thunder are the right situation for him and he came to the team at the right time. OKC will be shown on national television 21 times this season, way more than he has even been before. If he wants to put himself into the spotlight as one of the top shooting guards in the league, he will definitely have that chance this year.
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