Though the Miami Heat have not added a star player in the 2022 NBA offseason, guard Victor Oladipo could end up regaining his status as a star in the league this season.
Oladipo hasn’t been an All-Star since the 2018-19 season, and he’s dealt with a couple of serious injuries since that time. However, the 30-year-old shooting guard seems incredibly confident that the 2022-23 campaign will be the season in which he returns to prominence.
All offseason long, Oladipo has been been sharing messages of extreme confidence. He recently stated that he’s one of the best players in the world and also predicted that those doubting him will “hold that L” this season.
According to his trainer, Oladipo is absolutely making progress and looks “better than ever.”
“Victor Oladipo’s trainer texted me and said, ‘Vic looks better than ever. He looks better than he did even last year,'” said Wes Goldberg during a recent episode of the “Locked on Heat” podcast.
That should come as music to the ears of Heat fans everywhere. Oladipo returned from quadriceps surgery late in the 2021-22 season and only ended up playing in eight regular season games.
Heading into the playoffs last season, it was not even clear whether or not he would have a spot in the Heat’s rotation. He ended up playing in 15 of the team’s playoff games, starting in one of those contests. He averaged 10.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals in just 24.5 minutes per game.
If he can build upon that playoff production and bring it into the regular season, he’ll absolutely serve as an effective two-way player for the Heat.
Interestingly enough, the biggest impediment to Oladipo really regaining his star status in the upcoming season could be his teammate Tyler Herro.
Herro won the Sixth Man of the Year award last season, and he has made it abundantly clear that he intends to return to the Heat’s starting lineup this season.
Oladipo or Herro could start at the shooting guard spot for the Heat in the upcoming season. Whoever doesn’t start could arguably be one of the best bench players in the league this season.
Given what fans know about both Herro’s and Oladipo’s personal goals, the level of competition for that starting shooting guard spot will likely be incredibly fierce. That can only be seen as good news for the Heat.
