Miami Heat
How Victor Oladipo has become ‘major X-factor’ for Heat. Also, Kyle Lowry to return
Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo’s work off the court is behind his work on the court.
In an effort to remain healthy and available for the Heat after two major surgeries on his right knee in the last four years and a left knee issue that forced him to miss the first 24 games this season, he follows a strict daily regimen to preserve his body.
“I do a lot of stuff,” Oladipo, 30, said ahead of the Heat’s matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night at Smoothie King Center. “I invest a lot in my body and I have to. Obviously, I’ve been through a lot physically and my path has been different. So if I want to get back to where I was or even better, I have to invest in myself and my body. So that’s what I’ve been doing.”
The means acupuncture sessions and massages, off-day work, sitting in front of his locker as he wears compression recovery boots on his legs just a few hours before tipoff, postgame weightlifting workouts and more.
“Just trying to maximize my potential when it comes to my body and recovering,” said Oladipo, who was acquired by the Heat in a trade with the Houston Rockets in March 2021. “It’s a process, obviously. It has taken time, but I’m trending in the right direction.”
Oladipo is definitely trending in the right direction, as he entered Wednesday averaging 15.7 points on 42.1 percent shooting from the field and 36.1 percent shooting from three-point range, 3.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and two steals per game in 33 minutes in the past six games off the Heat’s bench.
Oladipo scored a season-high 26 points in a Jan. 6 win against the Phoenix Suns and also dished out a season-high 10 assists in Monday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks during this six-game stretch.
“It’s really encouraging,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Oladipo’s recent play. “He’s a major X-factor for our team. That’s what we had hoped for, that’s what we anticipated. ... He’s had the mental and emotional stability to let it happen at the right pace and happen organically.”
With the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro promoted to the Heat’s starting lineup this season, the team’s hope was Oladipo could help fill that void as a sixth-man spark off the bench. Oladipo has accepted that role this season just five years after he was voted to the NBA All-Star Game, NBA All-Defensive First Team and All-NBA Third Team in 2017-18 as a member of the Indiana Pacers.
This is a new role for Oladipo, who entered this season with just 10 regular-season appearances off the bench since the start of the 2016-17 campaign. But this is where the Heat needs Oladipo, helping to lift a bench that entered Wednesday averaging the second-fewest points in the NBA at 27.6 points per game this season.
“It’s really important and it’s what we envisioned at the start of training camp. That’s the role we slotted for him,” Spoelstra said of Oladipo, who has started just once in his first 19 appearances this season. “We knew from his resume that it would be a sacrifice. But based on what his last four years have been, that this is what made the most sense. We also wanted to be patient in this process with him. No matter how long it would take, we just saw the potential of that and he’s just going to continue to get more comfortable, get his legs under him, understand what his role is.
“I’ve said it before, we just really enjoy being on this journey with him, particularly when he’s had to overcome so much. It’s fun to see him have that joy for the game with his teammates and having an impact on winning.”
Oladipo has managed to log 30-plus minutes in eight of his last nine games entering Wednesday.
“A little bit, I can’t lie,” Oladipo said when asked if he has been surprised with how good he feels physically while playing extended minutes this season. “But sitting back and really reflecting, you see how much work I put in and how much I invest in my body. So it’s no surprise that I’m still feeling good, and I’m going to continue to keep feeling better as the year goes on.”
There has been a recent uptick in Oladipo’s offensive numbers, but his best work this season has come on the defensive end.
Oladipo has totaled 33 steals and 57 deflections in his first 19 games to rank second on the team in both categories since he made his season debut less than two months ago on Dec. 6. Jimmy Butler is the only Heat player who ranks ahead of Oladipo in those areas during that time.
“Obviously, his impact defensively is just unreal right now,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “He’s being one of those guys when we need to do the dirty work. ... And on the offensive end, he’s getting back in his flow. When I see it sometimes, it reminds me of when he was the All-Star Victor and he’s just being a star in his role on our team.”
Oladipo doesn’t feel that far off from the pre-injury version of himself, but he knows more time is needed to get there after all he’s been through.
“I feel pretty close,” Oladipo said with a grin. “And with my situation, it takes time with a tendon. So I’m looking forward to seeing after the time that it normally takes, what I feel like, because I feel good, man.”
LOWRY SET TO RETURN
The Heat ruled out Jamal Cain (G League), Nikola Jovic (lower back stress reaction), Duncan Robinson (finger surgery) and Omer Yurtseven (ankle surgery) for Wednesday’s game against the Pelicans.
Kyle Lowry (left knee discomfort) was listed as questionable for the Heat, but he was upgraded to available on Wednesday afternoon. Lowry will return after missing the last four games.
“He’s made improvement,” Spoelstra said of Lowry’s status ahead of Wednesday’s game. “He’s been doing a lot of work behind the scenes and he was able to go through the walk through [Wednesday morning].
Heat starting forward Caleb Martin (left quadriceps) was listed as probable, but he was also upgraded to available.
This means that Miami will be able to use its preferred starting lineup of Lowry, Herro, Butler, Martin and Adebayo for just the 15th time this season on Wednesday.
The Pelicans will be without three regular starters against the Heat. Starters Brandon Ingram (toe contusion), Herbert Jones (back contusion) and Zion Williamson (hamstring strain) have been ruled out.
This story was originally published January 18, 2023, 12:42 PM.
