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Victor Oladipo Crush-a-lot

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Like. Scorching Buckeyes. Bring him to me.
 
Request title change to The Home 'Dipo.
 
No but srs: Kyrie, Oladipo/Waiters, LeBron, Thompson, Varejao/Zeller = not 3, not 4, not 5...
 
I like him with the lAkers pick around 16. Not sure about the cavs pick,
 
Since this will probably turn into the general Oladipo pre-draft thread, here is the recent DraftExpress profile of Oladipo, probably posted elsewhere on the site, but deserving a place here.

NBA Draft Prospect of the Week: Victor Oladipo
February 5, 2013
Scouting report by Walker Beeken. Video analysis by Mike Schmitz

Perhaps no player in the country has garnered more attention for his improvement from last season to this than Indiana's Victor Oladipo. After a solid sophomore year in which he emerged as a defensive specialist and energy guy for the Hoosiers, Oladipo has become dramatically more efficient on the offensive end as a junior, leading all top-100 prospects in effective FG%.

As we've mentioned before, Oladipo's intrigue as an NBA prospect starts with his abilities as a perimeter defender. An elite athlete with a chiseled frame and solid size and length for an NBA shooting guard, Oladipo combines his outstanding physical tools with a relentless motor, often overwhelming players at the college level as an on-ball defender and causing havoc off the ball.

Oladipo makes his presence felt all over the floor defensively, playing with tremendous intensity and always finding ways to get his hands on the ball for deflections and steals, or flying in from out of his area to block a shot or come up with a rebound, thanks to his seemingly endless energy and outstanding speed, quickness, and leaping ability.

Oladipo ranks second amongst all players in our Top 100 Rankings in steals per forty minutes, using his athleticism and anticipation skills to play the passing lanes, and also his quick hands to strip his man off the dribble. He has excellent lateral quickness and is able play his man very closely on the perimeter and still stay in front of him, while also being able to recover quickly in the event that he gets beat.

With the ability to guard up to four positions at the college level, Oladipo projects to be able to defend all three perimeter positions at the NBA level, depending on matchups. He has the speed and quickness to cover point guards, and his athleticism, strength, and toughness should enable him to guard most small forwards as well. Coaches will likely value the flexibility Oladipo gives them on the defensive end, as they can cross-match and hide weaker defenders while putting Oladipo on the opposing team's top perimeter threat, regardless of position.

While Oladipo's calling card as a prospect is his defense, it's the progression in his offensive game that has been the primary reason for his breakout season. After making only 18 of his 74 3-point attempts (24%) in his first two seasons at Indiana, he's connected on an excellent 19 of 37 so far this season (51%) from behind the arc, which ranks second among all top-100 prospects who attempt at least one 3-pointer per game.

Oladipo's shooting numbers are likely a bit inflated at this stage with such a small sample size, but it's clear that he's put in the work to improve his jump shot. He looks more fluid and comfortable with his release than last year, and the ball seems to come off of his hands softer, with better rotation and arc on his shot.

He's also done a very good job knowing his limitations as a shooter, as 74% of his jumpers this season have come off the catch with his feet set, and the pull-up jumpers he has taken have been good, open looks for the most part.

NBA teams will likely want to see more evidence that his early season shooting is not a fluke, as well as see how he might adjust to the longer NBA 3-point, but his improvements are very encouraging and should suggest that the potential is there for him to become an adequate spot shooter in time, assuming he continues to put in the work.

Oladipo still does much of his damage offensively when he can get out in the open floor, as over 28% of his used possessions this season have come in transition. He's an absolute blur leading the break with the ball in his hands or filling the lanes, where he's capable of finishing with highlight-reel dunks.

In the half-court, Oladipo is primarily an opportunistic scorer at this stage, utilizing his athleticism and energy to make plays off of cuts and offensive rebounds (his 3.4 offensive rebounds per forty ranks first amongst all shooting guard prospects in our database). Over two thirds of his shot attempts come in the basket area, and he's converting on an outstanding 71% of those attempts, as he attacks the rim very aggressively and uses his good body control and excellent elevation to finish.

As we've touched on before, Oladipo is fairly limited as a ball-handler and playmaker, with most of his opportunities coming off of straight-line drives on close-outs or when he can catch the ball on the move. Indiana Coach Tom Crean seems to be getting more comfortable using him as a creator, however, as almost 20% of his possessions have come in isolations or as the ball-handler in pick-and-roll sets. He is far more comfortable dribbling and finishing with his right hand at this stage and doesn't show much in the way of advanced ball-handling skills, but he's still able to get the basket at times, as he is very difficult to stop once he's built up a full head of steam and is able to utilize his blazing speed.

Oladipo plays unselfishly and is showing a better feel for driving-and-kicking to open shooters, but since he's always playing at full speed, he has a tendency to be out of control and loose with the ball, as evidenced by the fact that he turns the ball over on almost a quarter of his used possessions.

Playing on a very talented Hoosier squad, currently ranked as the top team in the country, should give Oladipo plenty of time to showcase himself in front of NBA scouts over the next couple months. With all the buzz he's receiving this season, and the fact that he's on track to graduate in three years, he likely will be tempted to declare for the NBA draft this summer, something he's reportedly strongly considering according to what we've been told.

While Oladipo's offensive game is still a work-in-progress at this point and may limit his upside in the eyes of some NBA teams, but he brings tremendous value defensively and looks to have all of the makings of a solid role player, even with a lack of polish in his offensive skill set.

His emergence as an efficient offensive player this season is very encouraging, though, and he's shown tremendous growth at his time at Indiana so far, after barely being a top-150 recruit out of high school. He is by all accounts a very hard worker and a gym rat, and he'll be able to hang his hat on the fact that he has a combination of athleticism and energy that can be matched by very few, something that will surely be appealing to NBA decision-makers.

Accompanying video:
[video=youtube;MgWJGiJJAwk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MgWJGiJJAwk#![/video]
 
I want him with the Cavs pick wherever that may be. PERFECT complement to both Kyrie and Dion. Gonna be a stud.
 
I want him with the Cavs pick wherever that may be. PERFECT complement to both Kyrie and Dion. Gonna be a stud.

Ya let's take a player to replace our top 4 pick from last season and ignore our holes..... sound strategy.
 
I want him with the Cavs pick wherever that may be. PERFECT complement to both Kyrie and Dion. Gonna be a stud.

If the Lakers get their act together, then he could possibly be had with that pick. He's projected to go in that range where the Lakers would be if they make the playoffs. But drafting him with our own pick, hell no!
 
Ya let's take a player to replace our top 4 pick from last season and ignore our holes..... sound strategy.

The Cavs do not have a true third guard in their rotation right now. Regardless of whether he starts of comes off the bench, the game that Oladipo has shown this season would mesh playing alongside either Kyrie or Dion. He does not need the ball to have an impact on the game and his defensive abilities are very clear. He's the type of guy you look for in that range of the draft, a long-term role player. You can draft one or overpay for one in free agency. Because the Cavs have the luxury of two first round picks, they can afford to use a later pick on a guy who fills a hole.
 
Ya let's take a player to replace our top 4 pick from last season and ignore our holes..... sound strategy.

Oladipo can play small forward as well. He's a multifaceted defensive wing. He's not just a guard.
 
Oh man, wish I wouldn't have watched his video from a few posts up. Now I'm extra annoyed with the Lakers. Would love to take him somewhere bw 10-16. As a rookie, give him 12-18 minutes per game at SG and another 12 minutes at SF and let him just hound the opposing teams best wing non stop on defense.
 
Wow. I'm liking his defense and his motor. I'm interested.
 
The Cavs do not have a true third guard in their rotation right now. Regardless of whether he starts of comes off the bench, the game that Oladipo has shown this season would mesh playing alongside either Kyrie or Dion. He does not need the ball to have an impact on the game and his defensive abilities are very clear. He's the type of guy you look for in that range of the draft, a long-term role player. You can draft one or overpay for one in free agency. Because the Cavs have the luxury of two first round picks, they can afford to use a later pick on a guy who fills a hole.

You don't spend a top-5 pick on a third guard and fill a hole later on.....

Just because Oladipo can't dribble a basketball doesn't mean he's a perfect fit for both Kyrie and Dion; he literally doesn't have a left hand. Assuming one of those two is one the bench, who else can create? Oladipo, in isolation plays is like giving the other team two points at the other end. Everyone thinks he's this great shooter but he isn't, he's just taking smarter shots this year and taking advantage of the attention Cody Zeller gets in the low block; he still doesn't shoot well from the line. I don't see any upside in him because he's physically maxed and doesn't have a single NBA quality skill on the offensive end. The only way he scores in the NBA is from his athleticism; cuts, transition, and the occasional open shot. He can't run off screens, he can't create off the dribble, he telegraphs his passes when he tries to create, he's very predictable, amongst other things. NBA teams are going to eat him alive with the ball in his hands.

I just see a guy who runs around really fast, faster than his opponents and makes uncontested shots. I don't see the upside because his athleticism won't be anywhere near as impactful in the NBA as it is right now in the Big 10. He doesn't have a plan B game; by that I mean, when his athleticism won't allow him to score the ball with cuts and straight-line drives, how will he produce? He's not a great shooter, he can't slow the game down because he's not skilled enough to beat even a COLLEGE defender any other way, and I'm not sure if his basketball IQ is really low or if he just tries to force the things he's weakest at too often....

He's an NBA role player, not a top-5 pick. Maybe the dearth of talent in this draft pushes him into the lottery but the Cavs will have a lot more options when it's their time to pick......
 
Ya let's take a player to replace our top 4 pick from last season and ignore our holes..... sound strategy.
He's a better player and an upgrade over our #4 from a year ago... The Cavs holes is their actual talent on the roster... Strategy is sound..
 
Am I the only one that sees a slightly smaller Shawn Marion when it comes to Oladipo? Both have crazy athleticism, rebound better than expected for their height, and the ability to guard multiply positions, but can't shoot the lights out or go off the dribble with assured success. I don't think I would take him top 5, but if we some how slid down a bit, I think he would be worth taking a shot on. He's the kind of winning "glue-guy" we need.
 
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