NBA Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic: Victor Oladipo Coins New Nickname, ‘SpongeBob’

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By @ryanmheckman

Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

As the preseason begins to unfold for the 2013 NBA season, the Orlando Magic are ready to unveil their new prized possession in number two overall pick Victor Oladipo. Coming out of Indiana, Oladipo was highly regarded as one of the top athletes and maybe even more NBA-ready prospects for this year.

Getting ready for his professional career, Oladipo has been doing a lot of learning and asking questions. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Oladipo has even sought out advice from two other big names over the last few years: Kevin Durant and Tracy McGrady.

“I’m just being a sponge,” Oladipo said of his experience as a pro so far. “Call me ‘SpongeBob.’ I’m just out here trying to soak up a little bit of everything.”

(Insert Siri voice here)

Alright, from now on I will call you ‘SpongeBob’

In all seriousness though, Oladipo’s attitude has been phenomenal thus far. He has been seeking the knowledge of all his teammates and wanting to learn as much as he possibly can. This is the best sign the Magic could have hoped for going into this year as a team with little to no expectations beyond the regular season.

“I’ve pretty much already told him there’s always going to be ups and downs,” said Jameer Nelson, again according to the Sentinel.

“Just try to stay in the middle. That’s the most important thing. You can’t get too high or too low. You’re going to win some games, and you’re going to lose some games. He’s a good enough player to understand what he’s doing right and what he’s doing wrong. I’ll just be there to help him out if he needs it,” Nelson finished.

Center Nikola Vucevic may also be a younger guy on the team, but he knows what it takes to succeed in the NBA and has been sharing his advice also with Oladipo.

“You can’t come here and try to do so many [things] to impress people and do stuff that you don’t really do well,” Vucevic said. “You’re here for a reason and everybody knows what your strengths are. So just keep doing that, play hard and one thing that’s important is to work hard in practice. Come early. Leave late. It’s just the way you should be. It’s not really a secret. Listen to the vets.”

Ryan Heckman is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter  @ryanmheckman, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

 

Related:

Orlando Magic Rookie Guard Victor Oladipo Meets Childhood Hero Tracy McGrady

Tobais Harris Wants to be All-Star in First Full Season With Orlando Magic

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