NBA Playoffs Rising Stars: Victor Oladipo
SteemSports Presenter:@hogan22
SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets
There are some fantastic young players in the 2018 NBA Playoffs so we want to highlight a few of the rising stars of the NBA. First, let’s take a look at Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers.
Victor Oladipo was born and raised in Maryland. Both of his parents were extremely successful and were able to give Victor and his three sister a good and stable childhood. It was evident very early in his life that he was going to be an extremely athletic young man. He would attend De-Matha High School in Maryland and was an outstanding basketball player. He helped lead his team to a city championship and he was highly recruited out of high school.
Indiana University would be the lucky school that would land Victor. He got significant playing time as a freshman and he even got into the starting line up a few times. The Hoosiers were very good and Victor was the best defensive player on the team. His sophomore year would be even better and he was named the Most Improved Player on the Hoosiers.
The junior year for Victor would be his last at IU. He would average 13 points per game and 6 rebounds, both career highs. He had several explosive dunks and was the best lock down defender in the country. The decision was easy for him to fore go his senior season and enter the NBA draft.
Victor Oladipo was drafted as the number 2 overall pick by the Orlando Magic. He would play three seasons down in the sunshine state but he was surrounded by little talent. Although he averaged a solid 16 points per game, he was being under utilized. He would leave the Magic for the Oklahoma City Thunder and again have good numbers but he was constantly in the shadow of Russell Westbrook.
Last summer, the Indian Pacers had a decision to make. They knew that their star, Paul George, would likely be leaving the team after this season so they wanted to trade him to get an asset back. They struck a deal with the Thunder that brought Victor back to the state of Indiana. This was the best move that the Pacers and Victor could have hoped for.
He exploded back on to the Eastern Conference scene and instantly became the leader of the Pacers. He is averaging a career high in points at 23.1 points per game and led them to the #5 seed in the playoffs. He enters tonight game in Indianapolis, Indiana at a 1-1 series tie so far against Lebron James and the Cavs. Victor Oladipo will get a heros welcome when his name is announced on his home court, and it is well deserved.
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