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Victor Oladipo and the Indiana Pacers were off to a strong start through nearly half of the 2018-19 NBA season. Unfortunately, a gruesome injury ended Oladipo’s year before the All-Star break. The 26-year-old guard had played 36 games of his second season with the Pacers and the team looked like arguably a top-three team in the Eastern Conference.
With Indiana now the No. 5 seed and battling during a first-round NBA playoff matchup with the Boston Celtics, there’s no question Oladipo’s on-court production is missed. Shortly after the injury occurred, the Pacers broke the news that an MRI on the All-Star guard revealed he had suffered a ruptured quad tendon.
Victor Oladipo underwent an MRI Thursday that revealed he has a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee, sustained with 4:05 to play in the second quarter of Wednesday night’s game against Toronto. He will undergo surgery at a date to be determined and will be out for the season. Further updates will be provided as warranted.
With Oladipo out for the season, the Pacers have seen multiple other players step up, but replacing his production was nearly impossible. While the news was brutal, the guard is trending in the right direction and appears to be doing a whole lot better.
Victor Oladipo Cleared to Travel, Meet Team for Playoff Game
Although Oladipo won’t be returning to the floor this season, the Pacers will have their teammate on the sidelines during Game 3 of the opening-round series against the Celtics. As The Athletic’s Scott Agness reported, Oladipo was cleared to travel from Miami, where he lives, to attend the game in Indiana.
This is a big step forward, considering just over a month ago he was barely standing and walking due to the injury. But as Scott Horner of the Indianapolis Star details, Oladipo was able to do both on March 12 and even got some shots up in a very limited fashion.
Victor Oladipo Talks Injury, Shows Video Dancing
Just prior to the start of the 2019 NBA Playoffs, Oladipo joined the “Jeff & Big Joe Show” on 1070 The Fan and discussed his injury as well as the fundraiser involving his Dunk Cancer charity. Akeem Glaspie of the Indianapolis Star transcribed the guard’s update on his injury in which he stated he’s “in a great routine.”
“I’m feeling great. Doing well. … Just rehabbing,” Oladipo said. “Doing everything I can to get my leg back to where it needs to be. I’m in a great routine here.”
It’s great to hear and shows things are coming along at a strong pace. And for good measure, just two days prior to that, Oladipo showed off just how well he’s recovering with a video on Instagram. In the post, the Pacers star was seen dancing down his stairs.
Unless this video was taken prior to the injury, there’s no question Oladipo looks healthy. Obviously, he’s not going to be ready to return to the floor in the immediate future, but he’s trending in the right direction.
Through 36 games this season, Oladipo posted averages of 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. The scoring number ranks as the second-highest of his career, behind only the 23.1 points per game he averaged last season.
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