Heat Make Final Call on Victor Oladipo’s Return Status: Report

Victor Oladipo Heat

Getty Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo looks on during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Kyle Lowry continues to be in and out of the Miami Heat‘s lineup due to personal reasons. After missing more than two weeks of action as January turned into February, the veteran floor general returned to make nine consecutive starts for the club. Since then, though, he’s been inactive for three straight games.

While Gabe Vincent and Tyler Herro have done well to run the show in his absence, the team could clearly benefit from another hand. Thankfully, for Miami, it appears as though help will be arriving in a matter of days.

Per a report by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Heat are planning for the two-time NBA All-Star to make his season debut on Monday, March 7 during a home bout with his previous team, the Rockets.

Charania added that Oladipo “is making a full recovery” from the right quadriceps tendon injury that has plagued him for multiple years now.


It Has Been a While for the Former No. 2 Pick

Oladipo was acquired from Houston last March in a deadline-day deal, however, he ultimately appeared in just four games for Miami before getting shut down in April. The following month, he had season-ending surgery to repair his quad.

As such, if he makes his big return on Monday as planned, it will have been 333 days since he last participated in an actual game.

That said, Oladipo has been practicing with the team for a while now, in addition to getting extra work in with the Heat’s G League affiliate. Moreover, people have been raving about how the 29-year-old has looked behind the scenes.

On a recent episode of Zach Lowe’s podcast, The Lowe Post, ESPN’s Jorge Sedano said, “I heard he looks fantastic, Zach, like unbelievable.”

Although the Heat would probably like to ease Oladipo back into action, he may find himself playing a regular role in Erik Spoelstra’s rotation if Lowry continues to miss time.

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Oladipo’s Game Is Tailor-Made for the Heat

If Oladipo has truly gotten back to something resembling full health, his return to the court could be a major boon for the Heat. Over 454 career games, the 6-foot-4 combo guard has averaged 17.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals per contest.

He hasn’t always been the most efficient scorer — his career effective field goal percentage sits at 49.2 — however, he’s one of the rare players who can go and get a bucket himself or make a play for a teammate. And he may be even better on the defensive side of the ball.

During his last full year of action in 2017-18, he was the league’s steals champion with 2.4 thefts per contest. Meanwhile, he finished eighth overall in defensive win shares (4.0) and 12th in defensive box plus/minus (1.7).

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