Since the All-Star break, it’s been as you were for the Orlando Magic. They’ve been winning and losing games, but have continued trending upwards as a defensive unit. Interim head coach James Borrego deserves some of the credit for getting the team to buy in on that end.
But this team does feature some great defensive players, and right now it seems like they’re all contributing on that end of the floor.
This team begins and ends with second year guard Victor Oladipo. He is this team’s best defender, and since the All-Star break he’s been dialled in all over the court. As well as turning in some outstanding defensive efforts, he’s doing things like this as well.
Against the Houston Rockets the other night, he had 29 points and carried the team for large stretches offensively. They might have lost that game, but it was another reminder that this guy is getting a lot better over a short space of time. Indeed, since the All-Star break, his game seems to have taken a not so subtle jump.
ICYMI: @OrlandoMagic G @VicOladipo has been one of the hottest players in the NBA since the All-Star break. Story: http://t.co/m4wMBza0oS
— Cody Taylor (@CodyTaylorNBA) March 11, 2015
Now, I’ve been hard on Oladipo before. Before this jump in form I felt he would work best on a playoff team as the second option on that team. The best two way player on the roster, but somebody who deferred to a pure scorer on the offensive end. But his play recently has made me rethink some things. Most notably, best case scenario, is this guy the next Dwyane Wade?
Before we jump right into that, it’s clear already these two have their differences and so Oladipo can never be a mirror image of Wade. Oladipo will probably go on to be the better defender of the two (I’d be surprised if he didn’t) but he’ll never block shots at the rate Wade did (and still does). Wade never had a truly reliable three-point game either and Oladipo doesn’t right now.
Although with the way the league is today, it would be in Oladipo’s interests to develop some range.
| Player | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Oladipo | 35.0 | .446 | .353 | .472 | .822 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 17.6 |
| Dwyane Wade | 38.6 | .478 | .289 | .485 | .762 | 5.2 | 6.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 24.1 |
The above is a comparison of Wade’s second season in the league, and the season Oladipo is currently having. Yes, Wade’s numbers are better pretty much right across the board. But Wade was highly touted coming into the league and was an All-Star that year as well. Oladipo brought with him a lot of promise, but there’s no way he had the same hype as Wade coming into the NBA.
Orlando Magic Daily
So the fact we’re even having this conversation says a lot about how far he’s come in a short space of time.
You know what? You look at those numbers and see that Oladipo could become some of the things Wade wasn’t. We know he can’t hit threes consistently, but compared to Wade then Oladipo is Kyle Korver. He’s a better free throw shooter as well and is playing three minutes less than his counterpart. So the potential is there, and it’s beginning to come together.
It’s easy to forget now, but Wade was so athletic before his knees betrayed him, and Oladipo plays in a similar way. They’re almost crafty in the way they get to the basket, different to say a LeBron James or Russell Westbrook. Both are smart players (Wade’s old man game is a joy to watch these days) but Wade was a far better offensive player even at that point in his career.
I don’t know if this is just me though, but I think Oladipo already kind of has an old man game. He has developed an understanding of when to use his freakish athleticism and when to hold back. In some ways that makes him a blend of old and current Wade. I still think he truly takes over a game, even when the opportunity is there for him.
But with Nikola Vucevic and Tobias Harris also young, hungry and talented, I can understand why that hasn’t developed fully yet.
It’s been said before that the great players usually break out in their third years in the league. Derrick Rose and Paul George are two such individuals who have done this in recent times. But Oladipo is getting a head start on both, beginning to turn heads now as the regular season winds down. Look, it’s fair to say that the games he’s playing in now are hardly pressure cookers.
This team is lottery bound once more. But I didn’t think he had some of these recent performances in his locker, and it’s great to see.
Do I think Victor Oladipo is the next Dwyane Wade? Not quite, but the comparison is easier to make now. Finally, it looks like the Magic will have a star player on their roster in the near future. The fact that he’s a two way player only adds to how good he could become. There are differences of course, and Wade was the better player at that point in his career. Should Oladipo develop an outside shot anytime soon though, it would make things really interesting.
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