Mid-Season Report: Reflecting on the Oladipo Trade
When the Pacers sent Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis this summer, a lot of people said that the Pacers had been fleeced. It even went far enough that the OKC Police Department tweeted a response to all of the calls they received about the “theft of Paul George.”
Now, just 8 months later, you could argue that the Pacers are better off. Oladipo has blossomed into a franchise centerpiece and Sabonis has played an important role off the bench, as well as filling for Myles Turner when he was out. Both players have been important pieces for this new-and-improved Pacers team.
After mostly operating off the ball and in the shadow of 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook in OKC, Oladipo burst onto the scene in Indianapolis as the star of this Pacers team. Despite taking more shots per game than ever before, Oladipo is shooting 48.4% from the field and 38.1% from three-point range, both career highs. He is also getting to the free throw line more than 5 times a game, another career high, and is knocking them down at 81.0%.
Oladipo led the Pacers to a 33-25 record heading into the All-Star break, good for 5th in the Eastern Conference and only two games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for first in the Central Division. The Pacers have looked completely different with Oladipo on and off the court this season, as they are 27-19 when he plays and 0-6 when he sits.
Sabonis has also taken major steps forward in his sophomore season, averaging 12.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in just 25 minutes per game. Most impressive is the improvement he has shown from last season, more than doubling his averages in points, rebounds and assists while shooting 53.9% from the field. This has all come despite only playing 5 more minutes a game than he did last season.
Sabonis played a big role for Indiana while center Myles Turner missed time due to multiple injuries this season. He flourished for the Pacers by working inside more than outside, taking more two’s and fewer three’s while knocking both down at a higher rate than he did last season.
When the Paul George trade saga began, many Pacers fans felt like the end was near and the team was facing a major rebuilding period. Now, with Oladipo an All-Star and Sabonis playing the best ball of his short career, Pacers fans have plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about the present and the future.