{"id":31927,"date":"2020-07-03T17:37:37","date_gmt":"2020-07-03T21:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=31927"},"modified":"2020-07-03T17:37:37","modified_gmt":"2020-07-03T21:37:37","slug":"victor-oladipo-opts-out-of-nba-restart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2020\/07\/03\/victor-oladipo-opts-out-of-nba-restart\/","title":{"rendered":"Victor Oladipo Opts Out of NBA Restart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indiana Pacers<\/a>\u00a0guard\u00a0Victor Oladipo<\/strong><\/a> has decided against participating in the NBA\u2019s restart in Orlando. Oladipo joins a growing list of players not making the trip to Florida, including DeAndre Jordan<\/a><\/strong>, Avery Bradley<\/a><\/strong>, and Trevor Ariza<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What Victor Oladipo’s Opt-Out Means for the Indiana Pacers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Victor Oladipo Opts Out of Orlando Restart Citing Rehab Concerns<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Oladipo has decided to opt-out of playing in the 2019-20 restart in Orlando. Per The Athletic\u2019s Shams Charania, Oladipo cited his quad injury from late in the 2018-19 season as one of the main reasons for his decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to be smart and this decision hasn\u2019t been easy, but I truly believe continuing on the course I\u2019m on and getting healthy for 2020-21 season is the right decision for me,\u201d Oladipo said.<\/p>\n

While Oladipo has decided not to play, he will travel with the team to Orlando to continue his rehab.<\/p>\n

What This Means for the Indiana Pacers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With Oladipo\u2019s absence, the Pacers will have to rely on players like Damontas Sabonis<\/a><\/strong>, Malcolm Brogdon<\/a><\/strong>, and Myles Turner<\/a><\/strong>, as well as role players like T.J. McConnell<\/a><\/strong> and Doug McDermott<\/a><\/strong>. However, Oladipo only appeared in thirteen games this season and was still on a minutes restriction. It may be less of a loss than if Indiana was losing a fully healthy Oladipo.<\/p>\n

Even with Oladipo missing much of the season, the Pacers have played themselves into fifth in the Eastern Conference. Indiana is a well-balanced team, with everyone from their starters to their role players contributing to wins. Sabonis has emerged as an All-Star and has averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds. Head coach Nate McMillan<\/a> has been in the Coach of the Year discussions for the past few seasons. It has taken a team effort and great coaching to put the Pacers in this position.<\/p>\n

Without Oladipo, Indiana will hope that they can get the same consistency from their roster to have success in Orlando.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>