MIAMI — The slow play by the Miami Heat with Victor Oladipo has turned into the no play.
But that also has come with the 30-year-old guard and coach Erik Spoelstra stressing there is no need for concern.
Instead, after a week of training camp and then a week with Oladipo as a spectator to open the preseason, Spoelstra said the plan likely remains for Oladipo to make his preseason debut Monday night against the Houston Rockets at FTX Arena.
“He went full today,” Spoelstra said after Sunday’s practice. “I was encouraged by today.”
Considering Oladipo has appeared in only 12 regular-season games for the Heat the past two seasons, alarm certainly could have been justified with the former All-Star held out Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Thursday against Brooklyn Nets and then Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
But for Oladipo, who is participating in a training camp for the first time in four years, after knee and quadriceps injuries, it all is part of a slow build up to what he hopes will be his first full season since 2017-18.
“That’s a part of the process,” Oladipo told the South Florida Sun Sentinel of this measured approach to the preseason. “It takes time for the body to adapt and heal and everything like that. I’m coming off injury, so I’ve got to save myself from myself sometimes.”
Instead, he has been active in just about every practice, and then active in support on game nights, traveling with the team last week to Brooklyn and Memphis.
“They just do a good job of helping me do that,” he said of remaining patient. “And I’m just listening to my body, making sure I’m good.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. So I’ve got to make sure I’m right for the regular season and the whole year for us. So I’ve got to prepare myself and my body for that.”
The past four seasons have included significant maintenance programs, including sitting out the second nights of back-to-back sets. The question now is whether maintenance will become his norm.
“I think it’s a life-maintenance thing,” Oladipo said of getting his body back into NBA rhythm. “Eventually, it would become second nature to you, your body will adapt completely, you won’t think about it.
“But you still have to make sure, like anything, like a car, you’ve still got to put gas in it, you still got to service it, you’ve still got to do the little things for it. So, for me, I still have to do those things throughout my whole career, so I can perform at a high level.”
Throughout last season’s playoffs, Oladipo spoke of the anticipation of having a true offseason to prepare, without rehabbing from surgery or an injury. He said even in the lack of game minutes, the advantages these two weeks have been significant.
“Yeah, yeah, definitely,” he said. “You know, it’s more than just the physical aspect of camp. Also, it’s about the mental aspect of being here, being involved, being in the practices.
“I remember last season, I didn’t get that luxury. So everything counts, everything matters. And I’m here for everything. So when the time comes for me to go out there and play, I’ll be ready.”
After initially agreeing to a one-year, $11 million contract to return, the Heat and Oladipo restructured the deal to two years at $18.2 million, with a player option in the second year. That allowed the Heat to stay under the luxury-tax threshold, and afforded Oladipo additional financial security should this comeback be short circuited.
“I think it was us helping each other,” he said of his free-agency negotiations. “And it worked out for both of us. I was able to help the team, and they were able to help me, as well. So it was like the best of both worlds.
“I’m glad to be here and I’m looking forward to the future.”
