Heat HC Erik Spoelstra: 'No imminent date or announcement' for Victor Oladipo's return from injury
With one more game to play before the All-Star break, the Miami Heat are sitting pretty near the top of the Eastern Conference at 37-21. They've racked up the fifth-most wins in the NBA thus far, despite seeing All-Star Jimmy Butler limited to 39 contests and star big man Bam Adebayo appearing in just 33 games.
One player who Miami hasn't even seen play since April 2021, and has only witnessed take the court four times since acquiring him in a trade 11 months ago, is Victor Oladipo. According to head coach Erik Spoelstra, the former second-overall pick of the Orlando Magic may or may not be returning in the near future.
Oladipo played the first three seasons of his career with the Magic, earning a pair of Rookie of the Month honors in 2013-2014 on his way to making the All-Rookie First Team. The former Indiana Hoosier was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder with Ersan Ilyasova and Domantas Sabonis in exchange for Serge Ibaka in June 2016, but he was moved again the following summer, this time to the Indiana Pacers along with Sabonis, for Paul George.
The 2017-2018 season was arguably Oladipo's best one, as he posted career-highs in points per game (23.1), field goal percentage (47.7%), three-point field goal percentage (37.1%) and steals per contest (a league-leading 2.4 per game). He earned his first All-Star nod and at the end of the campaign, was named First Team All-Defense, Third Team All-NBA and the league's Most Improved Player of the Year.
Another solid first half to the 2018-2019 season resulted in Oladipo making his second straight All-Star team, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury in January 2019 after just 36 contests. Combining his injury-delayed start to the following campaign, plus the pandemic-altered schedule, the 29-year-old played in only 19 contests in 2020.
In January 2021, Oladipo was traded to the Houston Rockets in a massive four-team deal in January 2021, but he was again moved in March 2021 to the Heat. In May 2021, he underwent season-ending surgery to repair his right quadriceps tendon.
More must-reads: