Vic's Gone, Who Is Going to Stand Up?
- Chris Poindexter
- Jan 25, 2019
- 3 min read
Victor Oladipo is out for the rest of the season. He ruptured his right quad tendon with 4:05 left to play in the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, January 23, 2019. This injury is going to be a rough recovery. He has to have surgery to repair the tendon and reattach it to the kneecap. It is a 6-12 month recovery time and no one knows for sure the type of player Oladipo will be when he returns. There is nothing the Pacers can do about the injury. It happened and now the team has to keep moving forward.
So what are the Pacers’ moving forward to? Tyreke Evans will be moving into the starting lineup permanently on Saturday against his former team, the Memphis Grizzlies, on Saturday, January 26. Evans had a great season with the Grizzlies averaging 19.4 points per game playing in 52 games, 32 of which he started in. The story has been the opposite for him this season with the Pacers. A slow start and just awful play, but since he received a PRP shot in his knee to relieve chronic knee soreness, in late December 2018, his play has completely changed and he has become a major factor for the Pacers’ second unit. In the 13 games since the injections he has averaged 12.5 points per game, 2.3 assists per game and has been shooting 50% from the field. As a Pacers’ fan, you cannot ask for much more from the backup Shooting Guard. Now he is going to be playing 10-15 minutes more per game. Does he have the conditioning? I think it will take some time getting used to playing 30+ minutes a night. But once his body adjusts I believe that he will average about 18 points per game as a starter while hopefully still shooting around 50%.
Now the Pacers have 12.5 points per game taken away from the second unit. So who is going to stand up? The second unit has been the strongest part of the Pacers this season. Domantas Sabonis is a serious contender for 6th Man of the Year as well as Most Improved Player. Cory Joseph and his cornrows man-bun are still quietly having one of the best seasons of his career. Dougie McBuckets is still mostly a non-existent factor for the second unit. Although, when he actually does shoot, he is hitting threes at about a 39% clip. The X-Factor to this new second unit is going to be Aaron Holiday. The rookie has played sparingly, but when he has played, he has played well. After a hot start shooting Holiday has cooled down quite a bit. But he is still is as aggressive as he was from the first time he played. Shooters shoot and I fully expect Holiday to keep pulling the trigger. Eventually those shots will fall consistently. He also is not afraid to pass the ball. He has had some great finds in his limited time. I am expecting 8-10 points and 3-5 assists from Holiday the rest of the season.
The season is not over and this Pacers team will continue to surprise the national media. They play together as a team and there are no egos in that locker room. The Pacers will continue to win games, but I believe they will struggle in those close games without Vic there to be the closer. Expect the Pacers to make the playoffs and be somewhere between the 4-6 seed for the playoffs. Lastly, get well soon Vic. We are gonna miss watching you out on the court night in and night out.
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