Indiana Basketball: Reviewing old scouting reports of Victor Oladipo
Grantland
ESPN and Bill Simmons’ Grantland (R.I.P) had a short scouting report on Oladipo. Simmons himself said that he and former ESPN colleague Jalen Rose absolutely loved Oladipo through interviews. This scouting report (writer not specified) said that Oladipo has the chance to be one of the NBA’s elite players.
They wrote,
"“Oladipo shot an incredible 59.9 percent from the floor, 44.1 percent from 3-point territory (albeit on just 68 attempts), for a True Shooting Percentage of 67.1 — a staggering number, good for eighth best in the entire country.”"
We once again get a Tony Allen floor comparison in this article. They also credit his motor and selflessness as a player.
Interestingly in this article, they say that Oladipo’s offensive game is, “what gives him a chance to be special.” There is even a James Harden comparison!
"“Oladipo’s strength and athleticism should allow him to thrive in an up-tempo system as a finisher on the break,” Grantland wrote. “But even in the half court, the Indiana guard shows promise attacking out of pick-and-rolls — especially in the middle of the floor where he can attack downhill like Houston’s James Harden.”"
Conclusion
It’s fun to look back and see what scouts and writers had to say about Oladipo’s game. One thing that stood out to me was just how bullish everyone was about him. The 2013 NBA draft was phenomenally weak, featuring perhaps the most colossal bust in history in Anthony Bennett. Oladipo was drafted right after Bennett at number two, and if you did a redraft, it’s possible that he was the right pick at number two (behind some kid from Greece with a funky name).
Obviously, Oladipo had a bad injury last season and only came back late this NBA season. We’ll have to see how he will come back, but before the injury, he was a tad short of elite. It took a few years and some scenery changes for Oladipo to find his stride.
Before his injury, ESPN ranked Oladipo as the 15th best player in the NBA. There is still another level to go to reach superstardom, and we’ll see if he can take that next step.