Indiana Pacers: 3 takeaways from 2017-18 season opener
By Tony East
1. Victor Oladipo is better than anyone thought
Everyone knew Victor Oladipo was good. But because of his slightly-too-high salary, most people wrote him off as a player that can’t lead a team. However, in the season opener, he looked great.
In the first half, Oladipo had 19 points and was leading the transition charge after most Brooklyn misses. He had 11 of the Pacers’ first 18 points in the first quarter and made 8 of his 10 free throws over the course of the game, which was all very encouraging.
Down the stretch of the game, Oladipo had to sit out because of foul trouble. He could have had an even better game if he was able to play more than 25 minutes, but he still finished with 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting, five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Next: 2017-18 Week 1 NBA Power Rankings
If Oladipo can keep up his 31.7 points per 36 minutes all season long, he is going to be an incredible offensive force all year. Watch out for Victor, he is going to make the Indiana Pacers offense great.