An argument is this truly could be a case to where to the Victor goes the spoils.
The question is how much will be there to claim when Victor Oladipo begins his NBA return, which is expected to come in Monday night’s game against the Houston Rockets at FTX Arena.
Oladipo was formally upgraded to questionable on Sunday’s injury report for Monday’s game, the first time this season he has been listed as something other than “out.”
While March 7 certainly is not the optimal day for a season debut, the reality is that the Miami Heat’s disjointed season has been loaded with such challenges.
Consider that if Kyle Lowry, again listed as out for Monday, continues to miss additional time due to his family reasons, it is possible that by week’s end Oladipo could approach alongside Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro the minutes total Lowry has. Lowry has played 74 this season alongside that trio.
“It can’t do anything but make us a lot better,” reserve forward Caleb Martin said of Oladipo’s return. “So that’s the scary thing about it.”
Considering Oladipo has be out since May quadriceps surgery, with his five-on-five practice time this season limited to five such sessions with the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the learning curve figures to expedited, with a just a month left until the April 10 regular-season finale.
“Through this entire process,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, “I’ve really respected and admired how Vic is able to keep his positive spirit. It really is a unique quality. I love that quality about him. He always has a smile on his face. He brings a great, positive spirit every single day to work.
“This is going back to the summer, when it probably was most frustrating, or the season starting and the excitement. Everybody gets to start going and playing in games, and he’s doing the majority of his work behind the scenes. So he’s really taken the necessary steps.”
So what matters most with Oladipo poised to take the court for the Heat for the first time since April 8, 2021, one of four appearances with the Heat since being acquired from the Rockets at the 2021 NBA trading deadline?
Rotation role: There does not appear to be a path to a starting role unless Spoelstra is willing to sacrifice the spacing provided by Duncan Robinson.
So Oladipo’s role could come down to the numbers game with a bench that has kept the Heat afloat under often dire situations this season.
Tyler Herro and Dewayne Dedmon (because of the need of a second big man) are the seeming locks at the top of the reserve rotation.
Oladipo over Gabe Vincent is a possibility, but that could come down to showing an ability play alongside Herro, who possesses a similar skill set as Oladipo. Even then, Herro figures to stand as the dominant ballhandler of the two.
No matter, forward Jimmy Butler said, talent finds a way.
“He looks great,” he said of Oladipo. “He’s been working for a long time, countless amounts of hours in rehab in the gym, in the weight room. And I’m excited for him to get back.”
Added elements: Oladipo gives the Heat another player able to get a shot off the dribble, as well as play in attack mode. Thus the comparisons to Herro’s style.
Unlike Herro, he also is viewed as a quality defender, perhaps to offer more of a two-way component to the closing rotation.
Where Oladipo doesn’t stand ahead of the likes of Robinson, Herro, Vincent or even Max Strus or Martin is his 3-point shooting.
In his four Heat appearances last season, Oladipo was 4 of 17 on 3-pointers, and an overall .326 from beyond the arc, when also factoring in his 29 games with the Indiana Pacers and Rockets.
If spot-up shooting remains a priority, it is not something Oladipo does as well as Strus. If moving off the ball is prioritized, Oladipo is at a deficit to Martin in that regard.
Still, there is an embrace from the bench bunch.
“He’s going to add a huge boost to us, Martin said. “Obviously, just adding somebody to his caliber to our team is always going to be a positive. He’s too good. He’s going to find his way. We’re all going to adjust to him and figure out how we look with him in it.”
Long view: Although he returned to the Heat for the veteran minimum, Oladipo maintained his Bird Rights, meaning that when he hits free agency in July, he is eligible with the Heat to return to the $21 million range (or beyond) that he earned in 2020-21.
But Oladipo’s free agency also will come in the same offseason that Herro becomes eligible for a rookie-scale extension and Martin is eligible for a raise of his own from his minimum-scale salary.
The decision with Oladipo will not necessarily impact the salary cap, since the Heat can exceed that total to retain him, but it could come down to a luxury-tax economics as the Heat factor in Herro, Martin and even P.J. Tucker’s ability to return to free agency.
Those are decisions for Heat President Pat Riley and General Manager Andy Elisburg.
For Spoelstra, it is about living in the moment, and Oladipo being able to move on to a better moment.
“The toughest thing for a professional athlete is to get injured and most of your time is away from the team,” Spoelstra said. “That, probably, when you talk about mental health, that is the most challenging thing for an athlete. You don’t necessarily always feel like you’re a part of it. You have doubts. You don’t know what it’s going to look on the other side, when you do get healthy. You’re not sure if all the work is really mattering.
“That’s a tough place for an athlete.”
