The NBA Just witnessed one of its most beloved players end his season earlier than expected. After leading the Indiana Pacers from losing to Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a dramatic Game 7 of the 1st Round During The 2018 Playoffs; Victor Oladipo trained hard during the off-season and came back to take a young Pacers core to the #3 spot in the Eastern Conference with the #1 defense in the league. With every player giving 100% under the leadership of Coach Nate McMillan, the Pacers looked poised to get revenge in the East during the 2019 NBA Playoffs. Sadly, Victor Oladipo suffered a season ending injury (ruptured quad tendon) during the 2nd Quarter of the Pacers vs. Raptors, January 23rd matchup on Wednesday. Pacers would use the loss as motivation to defeat the Raptors 110-106.
Now the question everyone wants to know: Who’s “The Man” Now? Will Myles Turner step up as the face of the team? Will Domantas Sabonis play at the “Sixth Man Of The Year” he could be off of the bench? This injury couldn’t have come at a more pivotal time due to the upcoming trade deadline on February 7th. The Pacers can use Oladipo’s recovery time as an opportunity to trade some valuable assets for a superstar guard like Memphis star Mike Conley who is a homegrown superstar from Indianapolis, Indiana.
Or the franchise can still make a playoff run with the current roster, get knocked out in the 1st round and drop expiring contracts during the off-season to the 2019 Free Agency.
The stakes are high, but as we pray for Victor Oladipo to have a speedy recovery, the Pacers have to make a move to continue to build off of the momentum from their 2018 Most Improved Player.