From Lin Branning, via E-Mail:
"What is it with you, and your lack of respect for Oladipo’s play and attitude and what it really brings to this team? If anything, his play, shooting percentages and defense reminds us of a young John Havlicek, who disrupted and wore out other players and teams with his hustle off the bench. Just look at his pressure on other teams, wanting to rest starters, yet knowing that Oladipo is coming in fresh with the Magic’s second unit, intending to speed up and intensify the play of the game. That is an extremely valuable asset for any team to have. It sure didn’t hurt the Celtics, it is just rare to find a NBA player who really does puts his team first. How do you place a value on how he has handled what has been asked of him, how he leads by his attitude for what was asked, and for what it has done for this team’s moral? If I owned the Magic I would be extremely happy to have Victor on it. Respectfully, Lin, a tired, ugly and old basketball fan."
Lin is not the only one who has come at me for criticism on Oladipo. So let me try to address some of these concerns.
First, Oladipo has handled everything with his season extremely professionally. He has never complained publicly about going to the bench and has consistently said he is doing what his team asks to help them win.
Further, Scott Skiles has acknowledged he would be upset if Oladipo were not angry he is not starting too. So I am not going to say Oladipo is happy about the move. Just because he has accepted his new role, does not mean he is thrilled. And now he is back in the starting lineup and he really earned that return.
But again, Oladipo has handled things pretty professionally. He, as he should, let his play do the talking.
Having a player coming off the bench of Oladipo’s caliber is extremely valuable. There should be no sense the Magic should throw that away just because he did not meet lofty expectations or is having a momentary setback. His stats have begun to come back to the mean and, again, he earned his starter’s spot back.
When Oladipo plays like he has been playing lately, scoring well and playing with some efficiency (hitting jumpers help), he is very good.
Second, Oladipo’s defense has never been in question. He is one of the team’s best defenders and has a very bright future in the league as a defender. That is not going to change. His value there makes him a NBA player and it has only gotten better as his career has gone on.
As I may have alluded to earlier, Oladipo has become a victim of his own and our lofty expectations.
The belief was Oladipo was the Magic’s best chance at an All Star on the roster. A true star who could help take the team to the next level. It certainly felt like he would take a step up offensively at the very least in addition to his killer defense in a system built to accentuate his defensive mentality.
The beginning of the season was an extreme disappointment. Oladipo’s shooting numbers were down so much that it felt like his poor offense was holding the rest of the team back.
So it is not that we did not see the good Oladipo was doing. It is more the Magic expected and needed more from him this season.
There is still half a season to restore that faith and that expectation though. And I think he will get another opportunity the rest of this season in the starting lineup and this summer. The Magic are not giving up on him either.
Next: The backcourt of the future?