Miami Heat's Victor Oladipo `Getting Back To Himself'
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The Miami Heat are finally starting to see the full benefits of guard Victor Oladipo.
After taking things slow most of the season, Oladipo has had plenty opportunities in the postseason. He had 19 points, six rebounds and one assist in the Heat's victory against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“At the end of the day, that’s my role on this team and I just go in there and play it to the best of my ability," Oladipo said. "I can’t really control anything else but my mentality and what I bring to the game. I just try to go in there and make it tough defensively. Offensively, just be aggressive, make the right reads and be smart. Obviously, I haven’t been here all year, but I’ve been watching and paying close attention. When I go in there, I trust my preparation, trust my instincts, and everything else will take care of itself.”
Here's what the rest of the Heat had to say about Oladipo:
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra: “We just really wanted to be open-minded. We were thrilled to be able to acquire him. We knew there would be a process. It was put on pause for a long time, but he just persevered. It was really interesting going over there and saying hello to Dwyane because I feel like I’ve known Vic forever through Dwyane. And if you would have thought five years ago that we could acquire Vic and add him to a group like this, you would have said ‘not a chance’. But it’s been a really unique situation for him just having to persevere and then just be open to any kind of role. I can’t commend him enough for that.”
Heat center Bam Adebayo: “He’s getting back to himself. Everybody can see he’s making plays. But on the other end, picking up 94 feet and sacrificing his body. We can’t ask for anything more than that.”
Heat guard Tyler Herro: “Vic’s playing tremendous. Obviously, the first couple of games, we came off the bench and it didn’t look too good in the regular season. But we’ve gotten more reps and we’re able to play with each other now for a couple games. Vic’s starting to be back to who Vic is. [He’s] playing well, so trying to keep him in rhythm. I think we can play well off of each other.”
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