Rest in peace to Victor Oladipo's injured knee mindset.
The Houston Rockets' new combo guard suffered a ruptured quad tendon in early 2019 with his former team, the Indiana Pacers. Oladipo would have surgery and sit out most of the 2020-2021 season, which he says took a toll on his mental health — but not anymore.
"I was feeling better, but my mind was so used to protecting me and being hesitant because of my leg, that I had created a habit of doing that," Oladipo shared with ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "And burying my injury and letting myself know that I'm healed, I'm stronger than ever before, it gave me the courage, the strength to actually go out there and perform and not think about the leg.