Victor Oladipo is accustomed to being the Pacers' outlier, but not like this.
He entered this season as their only All-Star, their only major award recipient upon winning the NBA's Most Improved Player trophy, and their only player to gain significant recognition off the court – in his case, for singing. He doesn't shrink from the white hot flame of fame, and in fact thrives on it. He has declared his intention to be a great player, and has put in the work to support his ambition.
The trade from Oklahoma City two summers ago freed him from Russell Westbrook's long shadow, and he made it clear in his initial conversation with President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard, in which he quoted his meager usage rate with the Thunder, that he didn't want to be a role player any longer.
He's not one now, either, but his stat line from Friday's 37-point victory over Detroit resembled that of a player who fills gaps rather than makes waves.
Oladipo scored just seven points against the Pistons, a season-low total aside from is 4 ½-minute appearance against Atlanta on Nov. 17 when he suffered the knee injury that forced him out of the next 11 games. In a game peppered with the crowd-pleasing explosives of hustle plays and uncanny shot-making, he was nearly inconspicuous. He hit 2-of-9 shots while his teammates combined to make 51-of-79. And while several of his teammates made memorable plays or shots, even those who played just a few minutes at the end of the game, Oladipo highlights are difficult to recall.
But here's the catch. His teammates will tell you he was the player who pulled the pin on the Pacers' offensive grenade that night.
"None of this is even possible without our best player, Vic," said Darren Collison, who hit all seven of his field goal attempts on his way to 19 points. "None of this is even possible. We don't play the way we play at the level we're playing at if it's not for Vic.
"It's not just his game, it's his demeanor, his attitude. You see other players and they're sulking if they're not scoring, or they're not happy. Vic doesn't care. He allows us to be ourselves. The reason we're special is because of Vic. None of this is even possible, so whether he's scoring six and we're winning by 20 or he scores 30 and we win by 20, his attitude and his approach is the reason we are where we are today."
Where they are today is 1 ½ games back of the lead in the Eastern Conference with a 24-12 record. They've won 11 of 14 games this month, and frankly blew the three they've lost to Sacramento, Cleveland and Toronto. Still, one more victory on Monday, against Atlanta, and they'll have taken adequate advantage of the schedule's easiest month.
Oladipo has been a central figure in all this, but not in his customary way. Having seen what his teammates are capable of doing while he sat out 11 games with a sore knee, he has adjusted his approach. He's shooting less, but drawing defensive attention that creates opportunities for teammates.
Photo Credit: NBAE/Getty Images
The numbers provide a story's outline.
In the 15 games before he was injured, Oladipo averaged 22.7 points on 19.7 field goal attempts per game, along with 6.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
In the nine games since his return, he's averaged 16.1 points on 13.7 field goal attempts, with 5.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists.
While the second set of stats are more modest for him, they have been more effective for the team. The Pacers were 9-6 before his injury, and are 7-2 since his return. Other factors such as strength of schedule figure into those records, but the bottom line is that dating back to the start of last season they are 32-4 when he takes 15 or fewer field goal attempts - including an 11-1 record this season. And something fluky has had to happen for them to lose at all, such as in the homecourt meltdown against Cleveland earlier this month when he took 15 shots but missed three-of-four free throws in the final minute, the Pacers combined to hit just 4-of-22 3-point attempts and the referees ignored an obvious foul by Larry Nance to get in position for the game-winning tip-in.
It comes down to a more balanced approach that makes the Pacers far more difficult to defend. Two games before his injury, Oladipo was averaging 20 field goal attempts per game and none of his teammates were averaging even 10. Now he's averaging 16.6 attempts, three teammates are averaging more than 10 and two others are averaging more than nine. He's still taken the most shots in his nine post-injury games, 123. But Thad Young (117), Myles Turner (115), Bojan Bogdanovic (102) and Domantas Sabonis (96) are participating more and spectating less. (Collison has just 55 attempts in that span, but couldn't care less.)
Oladipo was curiously not his usual jovial post-victory self in the locker room Friday. He didn't sing, didn't dance, didn't joke around. He said all the right things to reporters, but was subdued in his tone of voice and was by far the most serious player in the room.
"Good team win," he said quietly. "Everybody contributed."
He readily acknowledged the challenges his new role has brought. Some of his offensive limitations have been self-enforced, but others are a reflection of the devoted defense of opponents.
"You can just see it," he said. "There's four or five guys looking at me at all times, trapping me off pick-and-rolls. In transition, there's guys leaving (teammates) open and stuff like that.
"With great power comes great responsibility. I brought that on myself with the year I had, the beginning I had, so I have to adjust."
Is he comfortable with the adjustment?
"I'm comfortable with winning," he said.
"At the end of the day I'm just going to do what's needed to help our team win. I just have to find other ways to score and be effective. I'm going to make the right play, whatever play's there. Just keep getting better. My flow and my rhythm will come back."
In the meantime, his teammates clearly have his back. Collison, Turner and Young all praised him for his more balanced approach and gave him most of the credit for their recent level of offensive play. Cory Joseph even interrupted Oladipo's postgame conversation by standing on a chair and showing off his new red hooded sweatshirt that featured Oladipo's trademarked motto in black letters: Feathery.
"That's a way of life, man," Oladipo said.
Oladipo has a new way of life. And it's feathery for the Pacers.
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Mark Montieth's book on the formation and groundbreaking seasons of the Pacers, "Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis," is available in bookstores throughout Indiana and on Amazon.com.
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