With under 10 seconds to go in the Philadelphia 76ers’ matchup against the Orlando Magic in today’s Summer League action from Orlando, the second pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Victor Oladipo, juked his man, the 11th pick Michael Carter-Williams, before crossing over to his left, bumping him with his sturdy, 215 pound frame to get separation, before stroking a smooth 20-footer for the victory. Oladipo’s outside shooting is already turning heads in Orlando, and today’s game-winner over MCW was just the latest example.
Oladipo wasn’t a highly recruited player coming out of DeMatha Catholic High School, and his first two seasons at Indiana were primarily spent as the hawkish on-the-ball defender. But as we’ve already pointed out, Oladipo’s drive to improve led him to become the second pick in this year’s draft, and has catapaulted him from a defense-first unknown, to a possible ROY candidate.
Yes, it’s still Summer League, and there have been plenty of standouts in summer’s past who failed to realize the potential they showed in the muggy climes of July and August. But Oladipo just feels different than those other guys. Maybe it’s the way he’s always trying to get better, and the dramatic improvement we’ve all seen with his jump shot since his sophomore campaign with the Hoosiers. Or maybe it’s his designation as Jameer Nelson’s heir apparent in Orlando and the future of an extremely interesting rebuilding project by the Magic’s GM, Rob Hennigan. Whatever the reasons, his summer play doesn’t seem like a flash-in-the-pan like it sometimes does with others.
Victor Oladipo’s future is bright and very real.
Do you think Oladipo is the legit franchise point guard of the future for the Magic, or a draft day flop, and we’ve all been hoodwinked?
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