Former OKC Thunder guard Victor Oladipo opts-out of Orlando

Former OKC Thunder guard Victor Oladipo opts-out of Orlando which could result in significant shifts in the East seeding.

As the OKC Thunder and the 21 other teams prepare to move to Orlando this coming week the deadline to opt-out has passed. That doesn’t mean some players won’t join the list of those not participating.

On Friday, former OKC Thunder guard Victor Oladipo advised he will not play with his Indiana Pacers in Orlando and will concentrate on returning for the 2020-21 season.

Oladipo has flourished in Indiana immediately making a mark on the Pacers. In his first season with the Pacers, the awards flowed. Dipo made his first of back-to-back trips to the All-Star Game and won Most Improved Player.

He was named player of the week four times in his first season in Indiana and by season end was named to both the All-Defensive Team (first team) as well as an All-NBA Team (third team)

Oladipo missed more than a year of play on the hardcourt after rupturing his quadriceps tendon on January 23rd, 2019 in a game against the Toronto Raptors. It was his 36th game of the 2019-20 campaign. This season Oladipo returned to play 13 games and was just finding his rhythm when the NBA was forced to shut down the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kevin Pritchard made smart choices this past offseason bringing in Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, and T.J. Warren all on economical deals (particularly Warren as TI touched on previously).

Notably, the Pacers haven’t had good fortune against the Raptors. Another former OKC Thunder player — wing Jeremy Lamb also sustained a season-ending injury versus the Raptors on February 23rd of this season. Lamb suffered multiple injuries including a torn ACL, torn lateral meniscus, and a lateral femoral condylar fracture after landing awkwardly.

Both players will miss games in the Disney bubble and that’s a tough hit for the Pacers who are in a virtual tie with the Philadelphia 76ers for fourth place.

Former OKC Thunder guard Victor Oladipo opts-out

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As for the former Indiana alum, his decision not to play is understandable. Many analysts are citing soft tissue injuries as a concern for all their players given the long hiatus. Oladipo will travel with the team to Orlando and be on hand for support and offer his help from the sidelines in terms of things he sees on the court.

Malcolm Brogdon is expected to play but was one of the players who tested positive for COVID-19 in the mandatory tests conducted this past week. So far, the OKC Thunder have been fortunate with no players testing positive.

Prior to Saturday, it was thought the OKC Thunder would match up against the Pacers in a scrimmage. The initial word from the Association was teams would only play scrimmages versus teams housed in the same hotel and preferably from the opposite conference.

That led fans to believe three scrimmages would take place versus the East group of the 76ers, Pacers, Nets, or Magic. Apparently, that strategy was abandoned since the scrimmage schedule released yesterday only has the 76ers as one of the Thunder opponents.

The other two scrimmage games are versus the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers. Likewise, the OKC Thunder won’t play the Pacers in any of their eight-seeded games.

Ultimately, the decision Oladipo made was one he feels the most comfortable with and the Pacers franchise is backing him up. For those in OKC who became smitten with the extremely likable Oladipo and his work on the court, we’ll have to wait until next season to enjoy his work. Here’s hoping he comes back better than ever.