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Coaches, Teammates Impressed by Oladipo's Spirit and Drive to Improve

Josh Cohen
Digital News Manager

By John Denton

March 5, 2015

ORLANDO – Victor Oladipo has dramatically increased his scoring average this season and he’s noticeably improved his comfort shooting the ball from beyond the 3-point stripe, but those aren’t the things that jump out from a performance like Wednesday’s career-best 38-point effort.

Instead, it was Oladipo’s unbreakable spirit to keep willing his team – even in the face of the Orlando Magic’s loss to Phoenix – that had those around the dynamic guard so impressed. And it’s Oladipo drive and fight that has the Magic believing that he is already a special player despite being in just his second NBA season. No statistical measure is needed to see that when Oladipo has that run-through-a-wall look in his eyes that he can carry the Magic for long stretches of games.

``He has great will. He’s a competitive and tough kid with a lot of pride,’’ raved Magic interim head coach James Borrego after watching video of Wednesday’s game again on Thursday. ``We need more of that from him. For this group to have success at a consistent level he has to bring that every night. He’s one of those guys in the midst of chaos can help us. He can settle the group and get us a big bucket. And it’s that continuous will that he has that we need every night.’’

Oladipo’s incredible will was on display as he scored 38 points – the most points he’s ever scored at any level of basketball dating back to his Pee Wee days as a kid growing up in suburban Washington, D.C. The Magic squandered a 15-point second-quarter lead, fell into an n 11-point hole and seemed ready at times to let go of the game on Wednesday. But Oladipo kept coming, refusing to let the Magic go quietly by scoring 28 of his points in the second half and 17 in the final quarter as Orlando got within one point the lead.

Orlando ultimately lost 105-100, but not before Oladipo made 15 of 25 shots, drilled four 3-pointers and connected on all four of his free throw attempts. While Oladipo might have had a case for non-support – several of his teammates either struggled or were in foul trouble in the second half – he was determined to keep Orlando in the game and give it a chance to win down the stretch.

Oladipo, 23, has had to fight his whole life to get to this point – be it when he was a reserve early in his high school career, when he was a lightly recruited player heading to Indiana University or when he got to the NBA as a player who had the knock of having a shaky jump shot.

``I think (will) is a skill and I have to make sure that I use it in the first quarter just like I use it in the fourth quarter,’’ said Oladipo, whose Magic (19-43) host the Sacramento Kings (21-38) on Friday night. ``I’ve got to play like we’re down in the first quarter and the first minute and keep it up the whole game. It’s needed for us and I have to do a great job with my will.’’

Oladipo showed plenty of will throughout Wednesday’s game, three assists and three steals. However, his will to win might have hurt him and the Magic a bit as he tried to force a couple of pocket passes that weren’t open and he ended up with seven of Orlando’s 21 turnovers.

Still, Oladipo’s numbers are dramatically better this season than they were during his solid rookie season. His scoring average has climbed from 13.8 points per game last season to 17.2 points per game this season – good for second on the team. While his rebounding (4.1 last season to 4.2 this season), assists (3.8 last season to 4.1 this season) and steals (1.6 last season to 1.5 this season) are about the same, Oladipo has progressed as a shooter. He shot 41.9 percent overall and 32.7 percent from 3-point range as a rookie, but has come back this season and made 45 percent overall and 33.8 percent of his 3-pointers.

Much of that success can be attributed to the late-night work sessions that Oladipo puts in far away from the glitz and glamour of the games. While in college at Indiana, Oladipo famously used his swipe card so much to gain access to the gym that the magnetic strip on the back became inoperable. In Orlando, all Oladipo needs is his finger print, some good music blaring through speakers and development coach LeRon Profit to get in shooting sessions that have helped him dramatically improve his shooting touch.

``I’m way more comfortable through repetition,’’ Oladipo said. ``I think the biggest thing is confidence and realizing that I’m going to miss some shots and make some shots and I’m not a perfect human being. I have a decent shot and I just have to shoot it with confidence.’’

Some of the evolution of Oladipo’s offensive game was on display on Friday night when he willingly mixed up his attack to find open spots in the defense. Whereas last season Oladipo would often overpenetrate into big bodies and either get his shot blocked or knocked to the floor, this season he’s developed more of a midrange game to get open shots and save his body. Not only is he finishing better at the rim (54.9 percent shooting with 208 field goals as opposed to 49.7 percent last season on 216 made baskets), he’s also made 66 shots from midrange and 54 3-pointers.

Suns guard Brandon Knight, who had the unenviable task of trying to keep up with Oladipo on Wednesday, saw some of the evolution in the Magic guard’s game.

``He switched it up, that was the biggest thing with him,’’ Knight said. ``Oladipo stopped behind screens and he was aggressive getting to the rim. When he can do both, it makes him tough to guard. I thought he did a good job of switching it up, stopping on a dime, shooting jumpers and getting to the rim.’’

Most of all, Oladipo showed that there was no quit as he continued to will the Magic back into the game when they fell into holes. His energy, spirit and fight are infectious and it is a trait that coaches and teammates admire most about Oladipo.

``He’s a competitor and he’s tough and he has a lot of skills that are underestimated, I think,’’ Magic power forward and close friend Kyle O’Quinn said. ``He’s a great 3-point shooter and when people play him as a driver he can take advantage of it. He just really stepped up when we needed it, he gave us a spark and gave us a chance. We can’t ask him to have a career night every night, but with him playing at that level hopefully it will inspire others to match it and really help him out.’’

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