Indiana Pacers: The case for Victor Oladipo as an All-Star starter

Victor Oladipo is spearheading another exciting season for the Indiana Pacers and putting up All-Star numbers in his second standout season with the team.

With the Indiana Pacers just two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks in the race for first place in the East, the man largely responsible for the team’s success thus far is none other than shooting guard Victor Oladipo.

Coming off a Most Improved Player Award last season and contentious seven-game series against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs, the former Hoosier’s efforts have paid off through the first 37 games of the 2018-19 campaign.

Despite missing 11 games this season, Oladipo has proven himself to be an All-Star through his leadership of an otherwise undermined Pacers team. He’s averaging 19.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game on 43 percent shooting, and even his teammates will say that even on an off-night like Dec. 28 against the Detroit Pistons, his presence makes all the difference on the floor.

"“None of this is even possible without our best player, Vic,” Darren Collison told NBA.com after the 37-point blowout against Detroit. “We don’t play the way we play at the level we’re playing at if it’s not for Vic.”"

Oladipo made just two of his nine shots that night, but he brought enough energy to share with his whole team.

DeMar DeRozan‘s departure from the Eastern Conference has left the starting shooting guard All-Star spot a toss-up between Jimmy Butler and Oladipo, but seeing as he’s got the edge in both statistics and the win column (the Pacers are 8-2 since Oladipo’s return from injury), it would seem almost unfair not to give it to Dipo if he and the Pacers continue this level of play going into the break.

What’s been most impressive about him is his resilience and ability to step up in the team’s late December stretch. Aside from tough losses against the Cavs and the Toronto Raptors, both games that came down to just a few possessions, Oladipo has gone for 20 or more points in four of the past 10 games. One of those games includes a strong 22-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks to close out 2018 after a scare bumping knees in the game against Detroit.

After the win, Oladipo flexed his mental maturity with some profound foresight when asked about what the new year holds:

"“It’s amazing how years come and go,” he said. “2018 is gone, but 2019 there’s a lot of ups and a lot of downs coming. But it’s all about how you handle those ups and downs… for this team, we’ve just got to continue to get better, believe in one another, and embracing the moment and enjoying this moment we have together, because at the end of the day, it all comes to an end. So we just got to embrace it and have fun.”"

The immediate aftermath of the Paul George trade two summers ago certainly left some Pacers fans wondering about how long it would take for this team to be competitive again. But Victor Oladipo has assured fans that Indiana isn’t rebuilding. He’s fully embraced the leadership role on this team, he’s a big part of their success, and it’s about time he gets rewarded for it with an All-Star start.