When bigs drop into the paint against Victor Oladipo, the high-octane guard skips the pleasantries and cuts to the chase. He either pulls up on a dime and uses the free throw line like a diver would a springboard to rise up and knock in a jumper before the rearview challenger can recover, or he transforms the conceded airspace into a runway and prepares for takeoff.
Lately, however, his maximum cruise speed has started to hit some areas of turbulence. Not only is he shooting below 35 percent outside of the restricted area since the break, opponents are starting to adjust to his downhill momentum by attempting to redirect his flight plan away from the rim with hedges and double-teams.