Victor Oladipo unsatisfied with sophomore season
Despite an improvement statistically and a place as a leader on the team, Victor Oladipo is not happy with how his season has gone thanks to the losing.
When Victor Oladipo arrived at Indiana as an unheralded freshman, Tom Crean was in the middle of his own rebuild. Sanctions and restrictions from after the Kelvin Sampson era put the once proud Hoosiers at a low point. They had become the basement dwellers of the Big Ten.
By now we all know the story. Like Oladipo, they rose quickly through the ranks of the Big Ten and contended for a national championship by Oladipo’s junior year. Oladipo emerged as one of the top players in the country by then as his tireless energy and defense propelled him up draft charts.
Orlando made him the second pick of the Draft and began experimenting with the young guard at point guard. He had his struggles as he learned the nuances of a new position and gained skills he did not have to fully develop in college where his athleticism could carry the day.
Now that the Magic have Elfrid Payton and Oladipo has been more permanent moved off the ball, his scoring numbers are up and Oladipo is playing with more confidence as his responsibility increases.
Oladipo could have gained some outside All-Star consideration with his numbers of late — averaging 19.6 points per game on 46.4 percent shooting since Christmas Day. He also received the honor of getting a spot in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest (hopefully that will not be delayed by his recent Achilles sprain).
None of that matters though. Oladipo has gone from no-name to celebrated player and winning was a by-product of that. And since Oladipo is trying to take the leap to leader, he is disappointed with his season overall, as he tells Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders:
"‘A’ being the best, [I’d grade myself] maybe a ‘D’ or a ‘C.’ You’ve got to win. That’s a big thing. I just feel like if I continue to keep getting better, sky’s the limit. I can get to an ‘A+.’ I think the big involvement in that is winning and being a huge part of that. I think when I do that, I’ll get to the ‘A+’ that I’m looking for."
Oladipo has always had this kind of quiet confidence about it. He has certainly not eased on the throttle as he tries to have his team fight out of this rut they are in. His injury came at a really unfortunate time for him and for his team. The team needs this quiet determination and energy on the floor.
Oladipo’s season has certainly not been as harsh as Oladipo would grade himself for. He has, arguably, been one of the best players on the team. It is either him or Nikola Vucevic.
But wins do matter. And Oladipo and many players on the team have to get tired of losing at some point and find a way to push through. The way the Magic are losing right now likely does not sit well.
If the concern is losing habits creeping in, then Oladipo’s statement is certainly a positive one. So too is Channing Frye‘s comment after Saturday’s game that the players in the locker room are getting things together, but still largely doing the right things to get to winning in the future.
Oladipo wants to improve himself and his team and judges his play on how it helps his team. That is an important piece to the puzzle.