Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo played a huge role in his team’s Game 5 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
It marked a major moment in Oladipo’s season, as it reminded fans of the true star that he can be when he is healthy.
As Heat fans know, Oladipo has struggled with injuries throughout his career. It’s one of the reasons why the Heat were able to acquire him so easily last season in the first place. Shortly after he joined the Heat last year, however, it was announced that he would undergo quadriceps surgery.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say those thoughts crossed my mind,” he said when Adrian Wojnarowski asked if he considered retirement after having to undergo another serious lower-body surgery. “Like I said last night, I’ve been fighting even before I was born. … To quit on that, I would look back, and I would hate myself for it. It was a no-brainer for me to keep going. It might have crossed my mind once what we just talked about, but I brought myself back down to earth and realized like, ‘Bro, nah you can’t quit.’ That’s now how I want things to end.”
Heading into the playoffs this year, there were questions about whether or not Oladipo would even be in the Heat’s rotation. Indeed, he did not play in each of the first three games. He then played in Game 4 and saw 23 minutes of action.
It was a very different story in Game 5, however. Before the game, it was announced that star Jimmy Butler would miss the matchup due to knee inflammation. It immediately became clear that Oladipo would have to inject some scoring into the Heat lineup.
What followed was a masterful 23-point performance in which he shot 8-for-16 from the field, 3-for-6 from deep and 4-for-4 from the stripe in the series-clinching game.
As the Heat move on to the next round of the playoffs, it will be fascinating to see what Oladipo’s role is in the team’s rotation now that he has proven that he can perform at a high level on the big stage.
