After playing just four matches for the Heat, Victor Oladipo’s season is over.
Miami confirmed on Twitter Oladipo will undergo season-end surgery on his right quadriceps tendon. Oldepio had missed the Heat’s last 17 matches since a knee / quad injury against the Lakers. And now, Miami will have to make their big trade deadline acquisition for the NBA playoffs.
Oladipo was acquired from the Rockets before the 2021 NBA trade deadline in exchange for Kyle Olenyk, Avery Bradley, and a 2022 draft pick swap. Oladipo went for 20 games with Houston after the Pacers’ arrival as part of the James Harden / Caris Levert trade.
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During the year, Oldipo had 19.8 points, 4.8 rebellions and 4.6 assists in 33 games. However, with Miami, he had scored just 12 points per game on 37.2 percent shooting as he struggled to find a rhythm in his new home.
Oladipo was in the heat rotation for only four matches, so the team is used to playing without him. In fact, the Heat have held an 11-6 record in 17 games since he was injured. If they can continue at that rate, Miami should have a chance to make some noise in the playoffs as it gets closer and closer to the first-round matchup with the Bucks.
The reason that Miami has not missed Oladipo is its excellent guard depth. When Oladipo went down, Kendrick Noon stepped back into the rotation. Since that time, the Nuns have averaged 16.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 averages per game at a sterling 51.5 field goal percentage. He will continue to be an important part of the Heat back guard rotation along with Goran Dragic, Tyler Harrow and Duncan Robinson.
Oladipo’s absence may limit the Heat’s overall ceiling, but they are built to survive without him. Eventually, the team made it to the NBA Finals in 2020, and it still has most of the talent that took it to that point.
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