According to a report, Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo could return to action sooner than expected as he recovers from a quad injury.
Greg Sylvander of Five Reasons Sports Network talked about Oladipo’s recovery during the most recent episode of the “Five on the Floor” podcast.
“Sources close to Oladipo’s process throughout the summer have maintained he’s ahead of schedule and that there is an expectation surrounding him that he could be hooping by December,” said Sylvander. “That is a completely different timeline than I had been conceptualizing as somebody following this team. I was looking at more like the All-Star break. So the fact that he is advancing and looking like he is ahead of schedule and should be able to play basketball, let’s just say Christmas. I’m throwing out an arbitrary date in December for instance. That’s so much sooner than I was counting on Oladipo.”
Miami didn’t get to see much of Oladipo during the 2020-21 campaign. He came over as a midseason addition, and despite high expectations, he appeared in just four games with the Heat before an injury derailed his year.
When he’s at his best, Oladipo is a fantastic backcourt piece. He has career averages of 17.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He’s a lifetime 43.8 percent shooter from the field and 34.7 percent shooter from deep.
The 29-year-old is also a great on-ball defender. Back in the 2017-18 season, he led the league in steals per game. It seems like defense could be Miami’s identity in the 2021-22 season, so Oladipo should fit right in.
The two-time All-Star could provide the Heat with a boost that very few people are expecting. The majority of the attention surrounding Miami this offseason has centered around the addition of Kyle Lowry, but Oladipo could end up being an equally impactful piece in the upcoming campaign.
