Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo is focused on shaking off his years of injuries and committed to showing that he’s back among the elite players in the NBA.
Appearing on Vince Carter’s “The VC Show” podcast, Oladipo discussed his vigorous offseason workouts, while also offering the chief reason why that effort’s being put forth.
“That I’m one of the best players in the world. Period,” the 30-year-old veteran said. “I think that my injury has kind of built a misconception of who I am as a player.”
After being the second overall pick of the Orlando Magic in the 2013 NBA Draft, Oladipo eventually developed into a major star with the Indiana Pacers.
That stardom came crashing down in early 2019, when he suffered a season-ending injury. The injury lingered into the following season and limited him to just 19 games during the interrupted 2019-20 regular season.
During the following campaign, the Pacers traded him to the Houston Rockets. After playing just 20 games for them, he was then acquired by the Heat.
However, soon after that acquisition, Oladipo suffered another injury and has struggled to return to his old form. He’s only seen action in 12 regular season games for the Heat, which has affected his value around the league.
That image decline was evidenced by the fact that the Heat managed to sign him to a two-year, $18 million contract extension this offseason.
Oladipo has been working out with another veteran guard whose stardom took a hit last year, Russell Westbrook. Both players have pushed each other during their workouts together in order to show that they’re ready for a comeback.
The Heat are certainly hoping that Oladipo can show off his former prowess on the court. They managed to get to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals last season and hope that a healthy and motivated Oladipo can help them advance to the 2023 Finals.