Orlando Magic: Too Much Too Soon For Victor Oladipo?
By Luke Duffy
The Orlando Magic were the worst team in the NBA last season and that trend looks likely to continue into the next campaign, too. For a franchise obliterated by the Dwight Howard trade not so long ago, this is completely understandable. However, while last season was expected to be poor and panned out exactly that way, there is more cause for optimism this time around and rightly so. There exists within the team now a lot of raw talent and youth, but there is reason to think that, given time, something could begin to happen in Florida. At this moment in time it is widely expected that Victor Oladipo, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, will be a part of this new and exciting core. But it is also crucial that the young man is given the space to grow and mature as a player.
If you take a long trawl through the Internet, a couple of things become clear in relation to Oladipo and how he can help the Magic. He’s not the second coming by any stretch, but there has been a bit of a buzz created by those out there about just how good he can be. His play during the Las Vegas Summer League was very promising, his athleticism and defensive capabilities there for all to see. But this is a player who raised some eyebrows when Commissioner David Stern called his name second in New York this past summer, a lot of “experts” had him pegged to go a little later than that. Coach Jacque Vaughn was also singing his praises recently at a press conference as well, adding a bit more weight to the expectations that this guy is for real. Even the most foolish Magic fan knows that the playoffs are a world away this year, and that the team is still in rebuild mode. But some are starting to believe Oladipo can be something special quite soon, the kind of player who can make you forget about the franchise player who snubbed the organization for pastures new, a little like Kyrie Irving did in the wake of LeBron James‘ departure.
All if this hype needs to be cooled quickly though, so that the 21-year-old can get out on the court and express himself without a quickly swelling weight of expectation dragging him down. Oladipo is going to lose and lose a lot. He will make many mistakes, commit silly turnovers and miss crucial shots, but that is all a part of the process. Individuals such as John Wall and Kemba Walker are more talented than Oladipo, but have had little success because of the situation their teams find themselves in.
Victor Oladipo is no world beater, certainly not yet anyway. If anything his style of play reflects more accurately the role of a “glue guy” on paper. He can run all day and defend extremely efficiently and these are key attributes needed if a ball club wants to move forward. He is being built up simply because the Magic have little else to look forward to at this moment in time, other than young pieces and aging stars who are simply over the hill. They want Oladipo to be their next big hope, but right now that tag may seem a little wide of the mark. Make no mistake though, Orlando is very lucky to have him and it is clear when he was drafted it was because he fulfilled a need within the team. Any future Magic teams that crack the playoffs will probably include Oladipo, he just probably won’t be the centerpiece of that group of players. For now though he is all the Magic have, just don’t expect him to perform wonders from the word go.
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