3 Reasons why Victor Oladipo can revive his career with Miami Heat
Miami Heat's Victor Oladipo is playing for his third team already in the 2020-21 NBA season, but the All-Star shooting guard might have found the right place to further enhance his game and return to his best form. The eighth-year player is definitely an interesting talent in today's league, but he has bounced around a lot and has played on teams that lack certain aspects that the Miami Heat excel at.
Why Victor Oladipo can revive his career with Miami Heat
In this article, we will give you three reasons why the two-time All-Star can make lots of noise while playing for the Miami Heat, a team that is the reigning champion of the NBA's Eastern Conference.
Oladipo started his career with the Orlando Magic in 2013 and was traded to the OKC Thunder three years later. After his only season at OKC, many included him among the reasons why the then MVP, Russell Westbrook, could not make a deep run into the NBA Playoffs.
Before the 2017-18 season, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers with Domantas Sabonis in exchange for Paul George. In Indiana, Oladipo made it to consecutive All-Star games in 2018 and 2019. However, the two-time All-Star was traded on January 13th, 2021 to the Houston Rockets as part of James Harden's trade to the Brooklyn Nets.
Then, after 20 games with the struggling Rockets, Oladipo arrived in Miami in a trade that sent Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and draft picks to Houston. You have to wonder why a two-time All-Star and an All-NBA talent just three years ago is bouncing around the league, but Oladipo should just accept reality and try to take advantage of his current situation.
In his 29 games with the Indiana Pacers (nine) and Houston Rockets (20) in the 2020-21 NBA season, Oladipo put up 20 points, five rebounds and four assists per game.
Without further ado, let us start.
#3 Structure
While playing for the Miami Heat, Victor Oladipo will not be asked to be the team's savior in the biggest moments on the court. Also, he is now in a franchise that has a well-established structure. From Team President Pat Riley to head coach Erik Spoelstra to on-court leaders Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic, the Miami Heat are a well-oiled machine.
From his days with the Orlando Magic, his brief journey with the OKC Thunder, his solid years at Indiana and the 20 games he played for the Rockets, Oladipo has not had this kind of structure in all areas.
On the court, Oladipo's lowly field-goal percentage of 41% so far, is likely to go up with the Miami Heat, as he will be surrounded by better players and should get easier options on offense.
#2 Winning environment
Mentally, it will never be the same for an NBA player to get stuck with a franchise whose future seems uncertain, such as the Houston Rockets, than to play with a solid organization that will look to get big results every year.
The Miami Heat will always be looking to get the best players available to compete for the biggest prize in the NBA. With Riley at the helm and a title-winning coach in Spoelstra, it is no surprise to see the Heat making solid moves towards improving their roster.
The Heat have the third-most NBA championships since 2000 and they've played in six NBA Finals since 2006.
#1 Possibility to get deep into the NBA Playoffs
As mentioned before, the Miami Heat is the reigning champion of the Eastern Conference, and we should not disregard their experience in the NBA Playoffs. From a motivational standpoint, playing for a contender should definitely enhance Oladipo's level and help him find his All-NBA form.
Performing well in the postseason is always huge for an NBA player, and Victor Oladipo can certainly revive his career if he is a standout performer for the Miami Heat in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Last year, the Heat were not the favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals, but they managed to do it with a solid run. While the East has definitely improved for the current campaign, the Heat remain a team that not many would like to face in the postseason.
Oladipo has played 16 postseason games in his career and he averages 17.8 points and 6.2 rebounds at that stage. However, his team posted a 4-12 record in those 16 matches, and he would love the chance to improve those numbers as a member of the Miami Heat.