Victor Oladipo‘s versatility has made him an especially handy and useful player for the Orlando Magic as they try to fit together their rotation.
The common refrain with Victor Oladipo whenever anyone ever tried to ask what position he would play is that he is simply a guard. It sounded like simple marketing fodder a way to avoid questions that really have no answer and are meaningless.
Or at least Oladipo made them somewhat meaningless with his play.
With C.J. Watson still out and Scott Skiles looking for a way to get more shooting in the lineup in the form of rookie Mario Hezonja, Oladipo was put in a position to play more point guard, at least defensively.
As Skiles has said time and time again, the whole Hezonja-at-point-guard experiment would not work without Oladipo’s presence to guard opposing point guards and work off the ball.
Having a ball handler on the floor opposite Oladipo helps Oladipo’s offense too. Skiles has sought good balance from those lineups.
“Any time we can get Victor on defense on the ball, it helps us for sure,” Skiles said. “But we also have to factor in the other end. Victor is more of a slashing kind of player more than a run-your-offense point guard. Hence the reason we are looking at Mario a little bit there to let Victor handle the ball some for sure, but also to get him off the ball to get his driving game and cutting game going. And Mario couldn’t even be out there if Victor wasn’t such a good defender. There is a little bit of balance there too.”
Oladipo becomes even more important for this versatility — whether he is paired with Hezonja, Shabazz Napier or Evan Fournier — because he can guard any perimeter position. Elfrid Payton is officially listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Houston Rockets.
Skiles said Payton went through the morning shootaround and appeared to look good after receiving treatment all day Tuesday. The intention is for him to start, but he will be monitored and could have the plug pulled like it did Monday. So long as Magic trainer Keon Weise gives Skiles the green light, Payton will play.
That likely does not change Oladipo’s role much. He will still be coming off the bench and playing that supporting role as the backup guard. And it is very much that.
According to Basketball-Reference, Oladipo has played only 15 percent of his minutes at point guard this year, his lowest of his career. The pairing though with both Napier and Hezonja lends itself to the positionless notion that he is simply a guard.
Both Napier and Hezonja are styled more as scorers. While they may bring the ball up more, they are also effective off the ball. Having another secondary ball handler who can run the point in Oladipo also gets the best out of those players.
The Victor Oladipo-Shabazz Napier pairing has been largely successful this year. The duo has a net rating of +3.2 points per 100 possessions in 19 minutes together. The defense with those two has been especially effective, giving up just 95.2 points per 100 possessions.
The Oladipo-Mario Hezonja pairing has not had the same statistical success — a -11.2 net rating including a 103.0 defensive rating. However, since Hezonja started playing point guard last Monday, the duo has a slightly more palatable -5.5 net rating on the floor together in 45 minutes, although the 94.3 offensive rating is not the strongest.
With two-man lineups, it is easy to forget that there are three other players on the floor and so the effectiveness of just two players playing together and these numbers can be shaded by inefficiencies with the other players on the floor. Particularly with small sample sizes such as these.
Skiles is going to continue this experiment it would seem at least until C.J. Watson returns.
And Oladipo’s ability to consume opposing point guards or shooting guards on defense makes him a deadly defensive weapon too.
Without Oladipo’s versatility, the Magic would not be able to try these exotic lineups. Including the closing lineup Monday night in a close game that had Oladipo essentially playing point guard even if Evan Fournier was the one initiating the offense.
“It’s super important. He brings versatility,” Tobias Harris said. “Victor started off playing the one. So he is comfortable at that position. We’re going to need him to score and he can defend pretty much one through three. He can defend a lot of different positions. That’s only going to help us, but it shows his versatility.”
Oladipo’s greatest value right now is on his defensive versatility. And the versatility of the rest of the Magic’s roster allows him to split time with playmaking abilities and get him off the ball where he can be a more effective scorer.
Since the lineup change, Oladipo has seen his scoring jump up to 13.7 points per game and 4.7 assists per game. He is also shooting 42.9 percent form the floor, up from 37.0 percent in his first 12 games as a starter.
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There are still puzzle pieces that need to fall into place. But with some questions now with injuries about how the lineup will fit together again, Oladipo’s ability to adapt and play multiple positions effectively — particularly on defense — will become more valuable than ever.