Eastern Conference chaos paving way for Washington Wizards playoff berth
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The Indiana Pacers waited 48 games for their star guard Victor Oladipo to return. And as is most often the case, especially with an injury of the nature Oladipo suffered, the immediate returns on his play are underwhelming to say the least.
Oladipo is averaging a career-low 11.1 points on a historically poor 32/24/80 shooting split in his seven appearances for Indiana before the break. He oftentimes looks lost on the offensive end, as if he’s not yet filled in on the new sets the Pacers have been running in his absence.
And while his last game before the All-Star break was uplifting (Oladipo went for 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting), it was a win over the Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s hard to gauge how hard Milwaukee was playing that game, their last before the break, but there’s no doubt that their interest in leaving it all on the floor wasn’t high. Still, Oladipo went out and scored the ball efficiently, something he hasn’t done yet since his return.
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Yet the Pacers are 3-7 in their last 10, with just two wins during their star’s return. If anything’s clear, it’s that he’s not yet ready to score the basketball at the same high volume rate we saw him take over with in Indiana last season. Quite the contrary.
And for the Indiana Pacers’ playoff hopes, finding his role on a team that was playing better without him will be critical going forward. If they continue to force the issue, it may become a larger one, with playoff seed implications.