An open letter to the new and improved Victor Oladipo

Victor Oladipo has the potential to be an all-star in this league; performances like last night make that statement seem a little less crazy.

Dear Victor Oladipo,

Where has this been all season? You’ve had better statlines this season than the 20-4-3 you put up yesterday, but last night you played with a fire I haven’t seen from you in your short time here in OKC. It was amazing to watch. So amazing in fact, that I couldn’t stop tweeting about it.

There’s one play that sticks out in my mind. It wasn’t the wild and-one layup on LaMarcus Aldridge. The alley-oop in the fourth quarter was nice, but that wasn’t it. That stepback you hit on Johnathan Simmons? Na fam. It’s this little inconsequential play.

How many times have you pumped your chest to fire up the crowd this season? Not many. The thing is we feed off that energy. And I know you do too; 15 of your 20 points came after this moment.

I get it, it’s hard adjusting to a new team with a ball-dominant player like Russell Westbrook. But the thing is he needs you more than anyone else on this team. Steven Adams is going to be an All-NBA center one day, but he’s not there yet. YOU are the guy who is capable of putting up All-Star-like numbers on a nightly basis.

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Too many times this season you have taken a step back and acted more as a spot-up shooter than a secondary scorer to Russ. You’re not Alex Abrines, you’re Victor effing Oladipo. There’s a reason you were the second pick in your draft class; you have the traits of an All-Star.

Vic, you can shoot, dribble, pass and defend all at an extremely high level. But you have yet to release your full powers here in OKC. Actually I take that back. You did last night, and look at the result.

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When you attack the basket it opens up the rest of the offense much more than when Russ goes at the rim. Why? Because teams expect that from him, they don’t expect that from you. Until recently you guys had a top ten offense almost solely behind the efforts of that man.

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Give Russ help. Match his energy on the court. When you see a hole in the defense attack it with reckless abandon. Who cares if you throw up a bad shot every now and then? Russ does it all the time. Having another threat on the wing will only make your life, and the rest of the teams’ lives, easier.

This team will go as far as you can take them. Everybody in the league knows what they are going to get from Russ. They don’t know what they are going to get from you on nightly basis. I know you know you can be better.

Be an alpha dog. Because that’s the type of talent you have.

Thank you for reading my letter,

From the guy who owns one OKC players’ apparel, (you)