Grading OKC Thunder’s ‘Bust Revival’ Project

Victor Oladipo

Draft details: 2nd pick in the 2013 draft

How he was acquired: Serge Ibaka for Ersan Illyasova, Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis

Projected squad status: promising secondary scorer

Offensive Role

I have been questioning Victor Oladipo’s long term fit with the Thunder. Simply put, I think his value drops significantly the moment his three-point shooting fails.

I always saw Oladipo as a young Russell Westbrook. The potential to be a bullish on-ball defender, physical enough to create his own shot despite shaking shooting.

Since coming into the team, Oladipo’s role has  taken a different direction from what Westbrook actually does. When playing alongside Westbrook, Oladipo is essentially a three-and-d player. He starts most possessions in the corner, either shifting along the three-point line as the defense warps towards Westbrook, or comes off pin downs as a counter move to that. When he plays with the bench, his job is to create offense.

The problem with that is that Oladipo’s offensive ceiling now seems less and less like what Westbrook offers. Oladipo does not have the ball-handling or ability to finish around the rim to be a full pick-and-roll threat. He has not shown the court vision and passing ability to function as a full time play maker.

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Defensive Concerns

What is even more troubling is his defense. Every OKC Thunder player’s offensive shortcomings are almost excusable as long as they fit into the team’s defensive identity. However, Oladipo’s defense has started to look a little overrated.

As the 2-guard, he is barely long enough for some of his own matchups. He does not hustle for loose balls the way Andre Roberson does and looks lost when it comes to defensive rebounding. In recent weeks, Semaj Christon has even taken over Oladipo’s crunch time minutes because of the defense he offers.

That being said, Oladipo’s shooting has lifted the team this year. He is still by far the most natural offensive two-way player on the team after Westbrook. As long as Oladipo shoots well, he is part of the solution.

The question then is whether he can continue to make the next jump from his Orlando days. If he can do so, then the near-max contract will become justified. If not, then the Thunder really just have a good not-great player on their hands. Knowing Presti’s pro-activeness in the trade market, he may start looking at the market to see what he can get in exchange for that.

Verdict: potential to be a good-not-great player, slightly worrying