Orlando Magic: In Victor Oladipo, The Future is Arriving

Travel back to the 2013 NBA Draft, if you will. Reminisce about the days in which writers, analysts, fans, scouts and general managers were all quoted as saying that the incoming class of rookies lacked star power.

Fast forward to today, open up your minds and realize that a star is being born before your very eyes. He wasn’t the No. 1 overall draft pick, but instead the player who fell into the dreaded No. 2 spot.

That star is Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic, and his time is now.

Game by game, he continues to improve.

Oladipo has been on a tear as of late, and it’s been in the one area in which detractors have criticized him the most. While his raw athleticism and defensive prowess was known throughout his time at Indiana, his ability to consistently create his own shot was questioned.

So much for all of that.

For the season, the 22-year-old is averaging 17.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 3-point field goals made in 34.8 minutes per game. He’s doing so on a slash line of .454/.349/.723.

More importantly, he’s doing so in just his second season.

Since January 1, Oladipo has taken his game to an entirely different level. He’s increased those numbers to 20.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.2 3-point field goals converted per contest.

That includes one of the greatest performances in franchise history.

Game by game, he continues to improve.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, Oladipo is the first Magic player with at least 32 points, 10 assists and five steals since Darrell Armstrong on November 24, 1999. Before Armstrong, not a single player in Magic history—the franchise was introduced in 1989—had done it.

Not Penny Hardaway, not Tracy McGrady, not anyone.

This wasn’t an isolated incident, either. In fact, this was Oladipo’s second consecutive game with at least 30 points after he dropped 38 on 15-of-25 shooting from the field against Eric Bledsoe and the Phoenix Suns.

That was his personal-best scoring performance.

Correction: that was Oladipo’s personal-best scoring performance thus far.

The difference from the 38-point game to the 32-point game: Oladipo cut his turnovers down from seven to three and went from three assists to 10. The next time out, he scored 22 points and committed just one turnover.

Game by game, he continues to improve.

While the Magic may not be a playoff team, Oladipo has the look of many stars who came before him. Perhaps no player is quite as comparable as his mentor.

That friend and mentor: three-time NBA champion and 11-time All-Star Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat.

Much like Wade, Oladipo is a 6’4″ shooting guard whose combination of raw athleticism, lateral quickness and underrated power help him overcome his undersized stature. He’s also a product of college basketball head coach Tom Crean.

Oladipo played for Crean with the Indiana Hoosiers, while Wade did so as a member of the Marquette Golden Eagles.

It’s far too soon to comfortably predict that Oladipo will have double-digit All-Star Game appearances or a ring for three of his fingers. What can be seen, however, is that he’s on the fast track to NBA stardom.

Game by game, Oladipo continues to improve.

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