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By John DentonNov. 14, 2014
ORLANDO – Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo said on Friday that just because he suffered a couple of injuries that he won’t change his relentless and fearless style of play.
However, Oladipo – who played for the first time this season on Friday night – has taken measures to become a smarter and more efficient player in Year 2 of his career.
Oladipo was the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award and averaged 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals a game last season. But those numbers came at a cost as the guard was often knocked to the floor and he was punished physically by bigger players coming to swat his shot.
In addition to slimming down his body and adding muscle, Oladipo also spent much of his summer perfecting a floater shot in the lane and a mid-range jump shot. The thinking was that those shots will eventually help Oladipo avoid overpenetrating – something that often leads to turnovers and blocked shots – and also keep him from getting battered so much by bigger players.
``I’ll attack the rim, just maybe not as frequently as last year,’’ Oladipo said. ``I want to be a smarter player than I was. Last year, I was almost trying to bully people and you can’t always do that when they are 10 times bigger than you. … (The mid-range) shot is a big shot in this league. A lot of teams give it up. It can be a low percentage shot, but if you work at it it can be one of your biggest assets and that’s what I’m trying to do.’’
Ironically, Oladipo got hurt twice before ever playing a game – he sprained the MCL in his right knee after landing awkwardly on a drive to the rim during the fourth practice of training c then, just as he was about to return, Oladipo was hit below the right eye by a teammate’s elbow and he fractured a bone in his face. He had surgery on Oct. 25 to repair the fracture and he’ll wear a mask for the foreseeable future to protect the area beneath his eye.
``Whether I would have hit my face or not, I would have been stupid to play the same way,’’ Oladipo said. ``It’s all about building that confidence, being a smarter player and being in tune with the game and seeing where it opens up. It’s all a learning process and I’m still learning. It’s only my second year, believe it or not.’’
FOUR GAMES IN FIVE NIGHTS: The Magic are in arguably their toughest stretch of the schedule what with four games coming over a five-night stretch. Orlando was in Toronto on Tuesday and in New York on Wednesday before getting Thursday off. The Magic hosted Milwaukee on Friday and then were scheduled to fly to Washington, D.C. to face the Wizards on Saturday night.
Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said that he has to be more judicious in using his reserves during stretches such as these when the games are coming at a rapid-fire pace. He did just that on Wednesday in New York, playing four reserves a combined 70 minutes.
Vaughn said Saturday’s game – the fourth over the five-night span – could see reserves such as Andrew Nicholson, Willie Green and Ben Gordon play extended minutes to spell the starters.
``(Four games in five nights) is a pretty tough feat,’’ Vaughn said. ``You have to have the balance of rest, being mentally sharp – it’s a tough balance. It’s demanding on the body and hopefully we can continue to use guys to help us through that situation. For example, in the New York game, Andrew and Willie gave us great minutes. We needed them to produce and they produced for us.’’
ETC: Vaughn said that power forward Kyle O’Quinn would not travel with the team so that he could remain in Orlando and get treatment on his sprained left ankle. O’Quinn, one of Orlando’s steadiest players late last season and all throughout this training camp, turned his ankle in the opening game in New Orleans and hasn’t played since. … First-year Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd, a likely Hall of Famer in a matter of years, knows a thing or two about playing the point guard position and he likes what he sees in Magic rookie Elfrid Payton. Kidd said that Payton will benefit greatly from playing for Vaughn, Kidd’s former teammate with the New Jersey Nets during their playing days. Said Kidd: ``He’s very aggressive. He’s doing a great job for his team. His coach was a point guard in this league who had some success and he can be a great mentor for him to help him through playing that position.’’ … Milwaukee came into Friday night’s game having lost 16 consecutive times in Orlando. Incredibly, that streak dates back to Dec. 29, 2004 – Dwight Howard’s rookie season in Orlando. … After playing the Wizards in Washington, D.C. on Saturday night, the Magic will be off on Sunday before playing the Pistons in suburban Detroit on Monday. It will be Orlando’s first regular-season game against former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy since he became the Pistons’ President of Basketball Operations and coach.