1. Availability
The best players don’t count for anything if they’re never on the court. Even dating back to his time in Oklahoma City, Victor Oladipo struggled to stay healthy. He hasn’t played in at least 80 games since his rookie campaign, and Oladipo’s 75 games in 2017 are his second-most in a single season.
Over the past two years, Oladipo only has 55 appearances and 52 starts. During his 36 appearances last season, Oladipo performed well, but not at an All-NBA level. The 2019-20 season was a total wash for the former All-Star as he only played in 19 regular season games and couldn’t conjure a single win in the playoffs.
We’ve seen superstars lose their careers to injuries before. More importantly, we’ve seen organizations lose faith in stars as they continuously follow a cycle of injury and rehabilitation. Some Philadelphia 76ers fans are already fed up with Joel Embiid because of his constant involvement in this process. However, at least Embiid always plays 50 or 60 games a year.
Based on Oladipo’s cycle of injuries, his contract, and Indiana’s position within the Eastern Conference, the Pacers should look into moving their former star shooting guard.