This could have been Victor Oladipo’s gap season, similar to the one taken by Kawhi Leonard with the Los Angeles Clippers and the one that ultimately proved to be the case with Ben Simmons with the Brooklyn Nets, as they dealt with injury recovery.
That, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, is why Oladipo’s return, no matter the statistics, should be celebrated, with last May’s quadriceps surgery having put him on a timetable of a yearlong recovery.
“I just really admire Vic for his fortitude,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat turning their attention to Tuesday’s 7 p.m. Game 5 of this best-of-seven series against the Atlanta Hawks that the Heat lead 3-1. “I’ve said this many times, a lot of players would have just written this season off. It’s the safer play.
“And particularly when we’ve had success and there’s an unknown for a player, a veteran player, a proven All-Star, sometimes you can just say, ‘You know what, I don’t see an opportunity, I’m going to kick this down the road and just try to work on my health.’ "
To Spoelstra, that makes it about more than Oladipo waiting until Sunday’s Game 4 victory for his 2022 playoff debut, a game he played 23:04, most of any Heat reserve, and closed with six points, eight rebounds and four assists.
“But he’s really worked diligently. He’s made himself available,” Spoelstra said. “He has an amazing attitude of just coming in every day with a positive frame of mind, giving to the team.
“And you don’t love it that it’s under these circumstances. But we knew something would happen, as it always does with every team in the playoffs. Because of that energy that he’s giving into this, he was prepared for it.”
For now, opportunity for Oladipo likely will come down to injury for Kyle Lowry, with the veteran point guard having sustained a hamstring strain during the third quarter of the Heat’s Friday Game 3 loss, missing Game 4 and also listed as out for Game 5.
But Spoelstra also emphasized after Sunday’s blowout victory that he’s not necessarily wed to the nine-man rotation he largely limited himself to during the regular season.
“There is no nine-man rotation right now,” he said. “This is a playoff rotation.”
For Oladipo, it remains the same as since he made his March 7 season debut.
“You got to stay in the moment, stay in the moment,” he said. “You can’t really control anything else, but you can control what is right in front of you. And you can control your mindset and your approach.
“At the end of the day, man, I’m just going to go out there and do whatever I can to help the team win. Like I told you all before, I’m confident in myself and my game. I really feel like I can help the team, so I’m going to go out there and do that to the best of my ability.”
Little big man
P.J. Tucker said he embraced the opportunity to take minutes at center in Game 4, after backup center Dewayne Dedmon got into foul trouble and when the Hawks then went to smaller lineup.
“I played a whole season at the five,” Tucker, who is listed at 6 feet 5, said of his time with the Houston Rockets. “I love playing at the five. I think it gives a different look.”
Spoelstra said the seven weeks starting center Bam Adebayo missed at midseason due to thumb surgery eased the transition Sunday for Tucker.
“When we had to do that in those months without Bam, I liked it,” Spoelstra said of the alignment. “But, most importantly, we ended up being able to see something different just in case we needed it. We’re able to access that now, based on need, in this series.”
Injury report
In addition to Lowry being listed as out, the Heat on Monday listed Tucker (calf) and Caleb Martin (ankle) as questionable for Game 5, with both expected to play. Gabe Vincent (toe) is listed as probable.
