When Victor Oladipo missed his first game of the season against the Jazz, concerns were minimal. When Oladipo continued to miss games, concern rose, and rightfully so. Last year, the Indiana Pacers were a trainwreck when Oladipo sat, going 0-7 in the games where their star sat on the bench.
Despite reports that Vic was going to miss the entire season, Oladipo is back in the Pacers’ lineup. Surprisingly, the Pacers did more than enough to stay afloat without their leader. But now things are different.
Throwing last season out of the window, the Indiana Pacers finished their 11 game Oladipo-less stretch with a record of 7-4, a marked improvement from last season’s Chernobyl-esque meltdown whenever Oladipo didn’t play.