Rich Barnes- USA TODAY Sports
With the 2013 NBA Draft just days away, scouts, media members and fans are scrambling to get their last-minute projections for prospects. Everyone is looking for the next “so-and-so”. There is no next LeBron James or Kevin Durant in this draft, that is clear, but there will undoubtedly be some valuable role players.
One of those is Indiana’s Victor Oladipo.
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Oladipo is a Swiss army knife type of player, combining elite athleticism, a strong 6-foot-4 frame with a massive 6-foot-9 wingspan, a much-improved offensive game, fantastic offensive rebounding ability and the ability to guard three positions very well.
But he was not always a lottery pick as he is projected to be now. His rise is due to massive improvements from his sophomore year to his junior year.
In Oladipo’s first two years with the Hoosiers, all he had was the athleticism and he provided solid defense. Offensively, he was as raw as they came, only able to score off of dunks (although there were some impressive dunks). This past season, he brought a drastically improved offensive game to Bloomington, making him one of the best players in the country. Oladipo averaged 13.6 points a game and 6.3 rebounds, while making 44 percent of his threes with a PER of 28.9, resulting in being a consensus first team All-American and the Sporting News Player of the Year.
The type of player that Oladipo can be is in huge demand by the NBA right now. Athletic wings who can defend multiple positions, crash the offensive boards and hit three pointers are very trendy, with the likes of Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard showing their huge value recently.
There might not be any obvious superstars in this draft, but Oladipo is the type of player who could make a huge impact right away in the pros, with the versatility he showed at Indiana in his junior season.
