Reaction to Victor Oladipo’s 40-point night and implications of Heat’s regular-season finale
The Miami Heat’s regular-season finale didn’t mean much. The Heat already had the Eastern Conference’s top playoff seed clinched and most of its regulars were held out.
But for guard Victor Oladipo, the Heat’s regular-season finale represented his best performance in three years. Oladipo finished Sunday’s loss to the Orlando Magic at Amway Center with 40 points on 13-of-22 shooting from the field and 5-of-11 shooting on threes, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 36 minutes in a featured role for the short-handed Heat against the NBA’s second-worst team.
It marked just the third time that Oladipo, 29, has scored 40 or more points in a game during his NBA career and the most points he has scored in a game since rupturing the quad tendon in his right knee in January 2019. The 13 made shots, 10 rebounds, seven assists and 36 minutes played went down as season highs.
“It just felt good to play basketball,” said Oladipo, who returned five weeks ago from an 11-month recovery from a second surgery to repair the quadriceps tendon in his right knee. “Being out there and being myself and trying my best to do whatever it takes to help the team win. So yeah, that’s pretty much it. Just hooping.”
With the start of the playoffs up next for the Heat, the question now becomes: When will Oladipo, who will become a free agent this offseason, play again?
Sunday only marked Oladipo’s eighth appearance since making his season debut on March 7, as he recently fell out of the Heat’s rotation. Oladipo received five DNP-CDs (did not play, coach’s decision) in the six games leading up to the Heat’s regular-season finale.
The Heat’s starting lineup looks to be set with the five-man group of Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, Jimmy Butler, P.J. Tucker and Bam Adebayo opening games. The four-man bench rotation has consisted of Tyler Herro, Dewayne Dedmon, Duncan Robinson and either Gabe Vincent or Caleb Martin recently.
“I have no control over that,” Oladipo said when asked if he still hopes to be part of the Heat’s playoff rotation. “When my number is called, I’ll be ready if it’s called. I don’t have control over the rotation. I got to focus on continuing to get better and staying ready. I’m still in the rehab process.”
Oladipo is right, he doesn’t have control on who’s in the Heat’s rotation. But he has presented a strong case for playoff playing time with his last two outings.
A week before Sunday’s season-best performance, Oladipo finished with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, three rebounds, four assists, two steals and tied a career-high with six made threes in the Heat’s April 3 road win over the Toronto Raptors. He did not play in the two games between his efficient display in Toronto and Sunday’s 40-point night in Orlando.
Oladipo was efficient at all three levels in those two games, shooting 6 of 6 at the rim, 3 of 7 on midrange attempts and 11 of 20 on threes.
“Right now I’m in a position where I have all I need to maximize whatever I need to maximize, as far as my health goes,” Oladipo said. “So right now, I’m feeling better. I still got to keep improving.”
Oladipo has high standards for himself after he was voted to the All-Star Game, NBA All-Defensive First Team and All-NBA Third Team and earned the NBA’s Most Improved Player award in 2017-18 as a member of the Indiana Pacers. He’s trying to return to that point after two surgeries in the last three years on his right knee.
“I just really respect and admire how he’s handled this entire process,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Oladipo. “He has really been working diligently behind the scenes. His off days spending so much time getting treatment and working, after games he’s always the last one to leave. He’s in the weight room and doing all that work.
“There have been a lot of guys that have had injuries that might not be the exact same injury, but that would just push everything to the next season. He has made himself available, put himself out there to be vulnerable and just really giving into the team.”
Oladipo will now see whether that work results in playoff minutes. Even if a consistent role doesn’t become available, postseason playing time isn’t out of the question in the right situation or matchup.
“I believe in my game, I believe in myself,” he said. “I just got to continue to keep getting better. It’s a rehab thing, it’s a rehab process for me. I know the situation. I came back in the middle of the year. But my belief in myself and my game will never waver.”
NOT TOTALLY MEANINGLESS
Sunday’s regular-season finale wasn’t totally meaningless for the Heat.
Sunday’s loss cost the Heat home-court advantage in a potential NBA Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors. With the Warriors defeating the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night, they now hold the home-court edge in a potential championship series against the Heat despite the teams closing with the same regular-season record because Golden State swept the season series 2-0 against Miami.
The other two Western Conference teams that would have home-court advantage over the Heat in the NBA Finals are the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies.
Also, Sunday’s result in Orlando means the Heat will hold either the 27th or 28th pick in the June 23 NBA Draft. With the two teams finishing with the same record, a random draw on April 18 will decide the owner of the 27th and 28th picks between Miami and Golden State.
With its 2023 first-round pick previously traded, the Heat must make a selection in the first round of this year’s draft because NBA teams are not allowed to be without consecutive first-round picks. But the Heat can trade the player it picks this year after the selection is made.
