Orlando Magic Player Evaluations 2016

Victor Oladipo

Entering the season, there were very large expectations for Victor Oladipo. Oladipo would say it himself that he had high expectations for himself and he expects to be great.

With the way he finished his 2015 season, many suspected Oladipo was ready to take the next step as a player. He was the guy the Magic took with their highest draft pick in this rebuild and seemed to have the most star potential. This would be his moment.

Instead, things remained uneven.

Oladipo continued to struggle finishing around the rim. He struggled to get to the foul line. He was pulled out of the starting lineup at one point as Scott Skiles tried desperately to create a starting lineup that would get into a good rhythm in December. Oladipo was noticeably annoyed by coming off the bench but soon returned to the starting lineup.

And then he again had a strong close to the season after the All-Star Break. His 46-point game was just a clue of what he could do.

Oladipo will be extension-eligible this year, and it is not clear exactly what he is. He is a stellar defender, but still inconsistent offensively. Not strong enough at least to become a true star.

As I wrote in his player evaluation, Oladipo became a victim of his own expectation.

"In actuality, Victor Oladipo did not have a bad season. The perception that his season was disappointing is a function of the expectations for his season and his development. The Magic needed a star and Oladipo was the one who was supposed to fill that. In that sense he came up short. And Oladipo did come up short in other ways. He did not improve his shooting at the rim and finishing on his drives or getting to the line more. These were areas he had to improve on. But he also needed to improve his 3-point shooting and jump shooting too. And he did that successfully too."

That ultimately earns him a ‘B-‘ for the season. But certainly a desire for more as he heads into 2017.

Next: A sore thumb?