You never get a chance to add a great player to your roster in a playoff run. But then you never get an answer like Victor Oladipo gave after his eye-opening play helped the Miami Heat advance to the next round.
“A year ago today I was expecting and waiting for my next surgery,’ he said late Tuesday night after the Heat’s series-clinching win against Atlanta. “I remember a year ago today, around this time last year, I was sitting in a dark room by myself and just broke down.
“Not because I quit, but because I was at the lowest point I could be at.”
Can you imagine what it’s like for Oladipo at the highest point now? To have three years of injury, three years of pain and struggle give way to him re-introducing his game to the NBA by helping the Heat in the playoffs?
“I can play better,’ he said.
This is his triumph. It’s the Heat’s triumph, too. Look at this series. They lost their two stars in Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler. Their non-drafted guards, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, outplayed Atlanta’s Trae Young and Kevin Huerter, the fifth and 19th picks, respectively.
They also were rewarded for taking a chance on Oladipo. It was a minimum-wage deal, so the gamble wasn’t dollars. It was time, practice investment, him being part of a functioning team — but not being a part of it, too.
He was finally healthy and force-fed into the lineup in March. The Heat lost four straight. That was it, right? He was a great player when healthy, but the Heat couldn’t rehabilitate his game, adjust to his ways and still win, right?
Then Lowry missed Sunday’s Game 4 with a hamstring injury. And the Heat can’t play defensive-deficient shooters like Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson together. Oladipo played 23 impactful minutes that night: eight assists, seven rebounds, lockdown defense to help a 17-0 run.
Butler’s sore knee sidelined him with Lowry on Tuesday. Oladipo started. He hit his first four shots. He again was part of an instrumental part of a defense that closed the first half with a 17-2 run. He had a team-high 23 points.
“I can’t explain really why I’m going through or what I went through,’ he said. “I can’t explain why I’m here today. But I’m staying in the moment and making sure every moment means something. I’m just playing hard, man.”
You hear a rare quality Oladipo’s voice: Appreciation. We didn’t know Oladipo in his best days in Indiana. We barely know him now. But you recognize the tone of someone who appreciates the moment.
Here’s the secret few like to tell in sports: The great athlete often is a singularly unlikeable person. To achieve such heights, confidence becomes arrogance, relationships come only on their terms and a trait like empathy is self-defeating because considering other’s feelings doesn’t help them.
Some get older and find perspective. Others find it getting hurt. That brings introspection, candor, mortality — and appreciation. You hear all that from Oladipo in this moment.
“There’s karma to it,’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “If you do the right things, stay patient, it might not be on your terms or your timeline. But then when your opportunity is there you’re able to take advantage of it and you have everyone enjoying your success.”
What’s next? Oladipo seems to have supplanted Robinson. He might have Herro, too, depending on the matchup. We’ll see. Spoelstra has been a maestro finding the right player for the right moment again this season.
“I’m still improving,’ Oladipo said. “I haven’t played enough basketball to be super-comfortable yet, but I’m getting there.”
In the larger picture, there’s the question of a 29-year-old’s health. The Heat have the Larry Bird Rights to Oladipo, meaning they could go over the salary cap to re-sign him. It might come down to gauging the upward trajectory of Herro and the injury history of Oladipo.
But let’s do what Oladipo does. Let’s enjoy this moment. He’s an inspiring symbol of what sports delivers. Pain was overcome. Discipline and hard work were rewarded.
“I was in a dark room,’ he said.
Now he’s re-introduced himself on the bright lights of a playoff stage.
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